THE  ROBERT  E.  COWAN  COLLECTION 

PRKSKXTKD    TO    THK 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CRLIFORNIA 

I'.Y 

C.  P.  HUNTINGTON 

cJUNE.   1897. 

^^7*/5>/  — 

Recession  No  J 0  ///%      Class  NO/CM* 


TTY 


-Julius 


g    ef   the    Revel 

and  the   stage 
true   love 
for  the    false  love 

.of   our    age. 


jiramatic 


'oem 


Julius 


ing    of   the    novel 

and  the   stage, 
true   love 
for  the   false  love 

of   our    age. 


JO  /ft 

COPYRIGHT,  1891 
BY  THE  BANCROFT  COMPANY 

All  Rights  Reserved 


PREFACE. 

In  spite  of  protests  from  its  Author,  I  undertake  the 
task  of  placing  this  Dramatic  Work  before  the  public 
without  resorting  to  those  multitudinous  accessories  which 
could  be  supplied  by  the  theatrical  profession.  And 
though  the  Author  has  beseeched  me  to  desist  from  the 
attempt,  my  strong  conceit  has  overpowered  his  feeble 
modesty.  For  some  time  past  his  frequent  contemplation 
has  been  the  destruction  of  this  Drama,  a  conception 
morbid  from  its  birth.  But  such  destruction  I  contend 
would  be  no  less  than  child-murder. 

"  Still,"  he  would  say,  when  argued  with  from  such  a 
view,  *;the  child  is  so  much  morbidly  deformed,  that 
when  it  mingles  with  the  world  'twill  be  the  jest  of 
some,  the  scorn  of  others,  and  the  stern  repugnance  of 
the  world  at  large." 

"'Tis  not  your  fault,  though,  that  the  child  is  so 
deformed/7  I  would  reply,  u  For  was  it  not  born  so 
through  the  laws  of  Nature  over  which  you  could  hold 
no  control?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  would  then  assent,  "  but  there  are  few  who 
would  admit  that  to  be  true,  though  I  should  picture 


them  the  perfect  form  I  fancied  that  the  brat  would  have. 
But  that  is  not  a  whole  consideration  of  the  trouble;  for 
aside  from  its  morbid  deformity,  it  is  a  bastard  child." 

"  A  satire  on  its  mother  is  it  not?  " 

*  *  *  * 

And  by  such  arguments  I  have  induced  him  to  allow 
the  introduction  of  my  rhymes  into  the  matter  of  his 
Drama. 

And  now,  the  Author  and  Myself  apologizing  for  each 
other's  weaknesses,  it  is  submitted  to  the  test  which  is  not 
feared,  although  predicted — the  jests  of  some,  the  scorn 
of  others,  and  the  stern  repugnance  of  the  world  at  large. 

—JULIUS. 


REPROACHFULLY    DEDICATED 
TO 

"MY    FOSTER    MOTHER" 

[SAN   FRANCISCO] 

Blush,  strumpet  "  Queen  of  the  Pacific  Slope" 
For  while  strumpets  can  blush  there  still  is  hope. 

Behind  black  Tamalpias  sank  the  sun, 

And  San  Francisco's  sky  was  crimson  dun. 

Across  the  Bay,  from  Alameda's  shore, 

The  clouds  seemed  like  a  sea  of  muddy  gore. 

One  thousand  female  souls  sank  into  Hell, 

Without  the  murmur  of  a  funeral  knell. 

u  Nob  Hill's"  inhabitants  could  see  their  plight, — 

But  closed  their  eyes  to  hide  the  awful  sight: 

For  Hell's  "Dupont  Street"  touches  "Nob  Hill's"  side; 

And  yet  a  gulf  between  them  lies,  as  wide 

As  that  which  lay  'tween  Lazarus  and  Dives  ; 

But  different,  for  here  the  rich  man  thrives. 

These  thousand  female  souls  wantoned  in  Hell : 

Five  thousand  men  and  youths  beside  them  fell ; 

And  ere  the  shrill-voiced  bird  announced  the  morn, 

None  know  how  many  souls  in  Hell  were  born. 

0  !  San  Francisco,  blush,  if  blush  you  can! 

For  there  is  hope  while  still  there  is  a  man, 


Who  feels  he  has  an  interest  in  your  rule 

And  blushes: — be  he  not  a  self-made  fool. 

Through  what  power  do  these  women  grow  so  lewd. 

That  they  will  sell  to  men  their  souls  for  food  ? 

Or  is  it  lack  of  power  ?     Ah,  there  's  the  thought ! 

Had  they  the  power,  how  many  would  have  caught 

The  hand  which  left  her  in  this  foul  quick-mire! 

But  when  she  fell,  her  lover — love's  satire! 

We  know  the  rest — she  plunged  into  despair, 

Yet  lived: — would  life  had  ended  there! 

Her  lover, — let  us  use  the  satire  still, — 

Continued  in  the  ball-room  ;  there  to  fill 

Another's  virgin  breast  with — what  was  it? 

In  her  chaste  thoughts  the  lovely  maid  would  sit, 

And  wonder — well,  again  we  know  the  rest: 

Both  called  themselves  "  in  love," — r\either  digressed 

From  what  the  purest  novels  of  the  day 

Picture  as  love  ;  the  best  theatres  would  play 

Upon  the  rising  passions  of  the  lovers — 

— And  they  are  married — how  much  that  word  covers! 

What  seek  our  lovers  when,  with  passions  high, 
They  court  each  other  for  the  marriage  tie? 
Ah,  many  a  parent,  with  the  passion  past, 
Has  when  too  late,  this  simple  question  asked. 
WThy  hide  the  misery  of  such  lives  away? 
That  there  are  many,  none  can  well  gain-say: 
But  lovers,  married,  would  not  lead  such  lives, 
If  schooled  in  love,  wherein  all  pleasure  thrives, 
By  casting  from  the  novel  and  the  stage. 
For  a  true  love,  the  false  love  of  our  age. 


THE  TRAGEDY  OF  ERRORS 

A  DRAMATIC  POEM 

Lifers  theater  in  darkness :  from  the  stage  : 

"  Do  you  think  Walton  loves  your  mother  more 
Than  when  he  married  her  ten  years  ago  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  for  he  then  had  no  true  love  for  her." 
"  What  do  you  call  the  strong  attraction  which 
Was  thought  to  be  true  love,  but  which  was  not  ?  " 
"  A  simple  fascination  which  the  charms 
Of  social  life  excited  ;  nothing  more. 
This  fascination  withered,  and  true  love 
Was  not  formed  till  the  fascination  died." 
u  It's  time  Society  ceased  to  regard 
An  amorous  fascination  as  true  love  \  " 

"  Dear  Roger,  we  know  what  it  is,  I'm  sure." 
"  Yes  Gladys,  my  sweet  wife  \     Shall  we  retire  ?  " 

u  Yes  :  let  us  go  to  sleep  and  dream — " 
"  That  your  dear  mother,  Margaret  Kent,  will  live 
The  errors  of  her  life  again  \  " 

^  >i<  •%.  *  %. 

The  sunlight  of  twelve  backward  years 

Bursts  through  the  darkness,  and  then  fades  away. 

Strange  noises  fill  Imaginations  ears, 


10  THE    TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS 

And  Fancy's  eyes  are  filled,  while  tempered  day 
Reveals  the  (Esthetic  home  of  Margaret  Kent. 
Her  daughter,  Gladys — eight  years  old — is  bent 
With  painful  grace  above  a  manuscript. 
Her  emptied  pen  into  the  ink  is  dipped, 
When  Roger  Charlton  enters— there  'tis  left. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Charlton,  don't  tell  anyone  !  " 
She  tries  to  hide  her  manuscript, 
And  from  her  lips  a  kiss  is  sipped: — 

u  Don't  you  tell  anyone  !  " 

The  lips  raised  by  the  kisx  then  pout, — 

"  Now  you've  seen  everything  !  " 

He  fails  to  make  her  meaning  out: — 

"  I've  seen  your  love  ;  that  might  be  everything  to  me." 
"  Oh,  but  you  saw  the  letter  I  was  writing,  didn't  you  ?  " 

She  has  assumed  a  frightened  air. 
And  Charlton  gently  strokes  her  hair: — 

"  Gladys,  if  you  were  older,  I  should  say,  your  manner 
gives  yourself  away  !  Love-letter  !  — Hey  ?  " 

"  Ye-es." 

Reluctantly  she  gives  it  him  : 
He  with  expectancy  is  grim : — 

u  Should  I  find  it  for  some  one  else,  and  some  one  else 
find  it  for  me,  we'd  each  put  out  the  other's  eyes ; 
'fore  either  one  could  see  if  for  him  or  the  other  you 
intended  it  to  be." 

In  confidence  she  lifts  her  face  : — 

"  I  wanted  you  to  have  it,  but — not  yet." 

And  he  removes  each  wrinkles  trace: 

"  Then  you  intended  it  for  me  !  Sweetheart,  won't  we 
make  love  romantic  ?  Truly  this  (kisses  her).  We 
soil  love's  romance  every  time  we  kiss! — but  can't 
you  let  me  have  the  letter  now  ?  " 

With  fearful  sympathy  she  speaks : — 


THE   TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS 


11 


"  Oh,  I've  not  written  it  to  you  !  " 

And  he  exaggerates  Love's  freaks : — 

"  Horrors!  My  heart  will  burst  with  jealousy.  You  said 
it  was  for  me  to  see — I  thought  of  course  it  was  for 
me!  What!  read  it  now  ?  Well,  hardly.  We  will 
have  no  friendly  rivalry." 

He  takes  his  cloak  and  starts  to  go, 
But  Gladys'  face  beseeches,  "  No  !  " 

"  Do  wait  a  moment !  I  want  you  to  help  me  send  it, 

please." 
'Tis  sport  for  him ;  but  pain  for  her  :— 

"  I  help  you  send  it  to  another  ?  You're  a  heartless 
sweet !  Then  may  I  ask  of  you,  '  Whom  is  it  written 
to?'" 

Deep  in  her  breast  convulsions  stir  : — 
"  To  my  -papa." 
Charlton,  frowning,  drops  his  cloak  : 

"  Gladys,  what  do  you  know  about  your  father,  please?  " 

And  she  replies  in  tones  ivhich  choke  : — 
"  Only  what  dear  mamma  sobs  in  the  night." 
"  Tut !  tut !  " 

"  Last  night  I  woke  up  in  the  dark,  and  poor  rnamma 
was  praying  here.  She  didn't  seem  to  know  her 
voice  and  everything  was  very  strange.  It  seemed  so 
awful,  too,  when  all  was  still.  I  couldn't  speak  a 
single  word,  and  so  I  crept  from  bed  and  came  and 
kissed  her  cheek.  She  didn't  even  notice  me,  but 
cried  so  hard  that  finally  she  went  to  sleep  and  left 
me  standing  there  beside  her  in  the  dark  till  morning 
came.  I  never,  never,  can  forget  that  night.  So  I 
have  written  him  to  come.  Please  read  my  letter  1 
Here  it  is." 


12  THE    TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS 

Charlton,  with  an  effort,  yawns, 
While,  this  truth  upon  him  dawns  : — 

"  My  scheme  is  rotten  if  it  does  not  hatch  to-night !  " 
"  It  isn't  very  long  because  I  can't  write  very  well." 

(His  eyes  then  try  to  follow  where  she  moves  her  finger  through  the  air.) 

"  I  told  just  how  I  dreamed  of  him,  of  what  he  looked 
like,  and  of  what  he  was,  and  how  I  longed  for  him, 
and  how  I  loved  him  as  my  dear  papa.  And  then  I 
told  how  lonely  mamma  was,  and  how  she  called  for 
him'at  night,  and  told  how  happy  we  would  be  if  he 
would  come  to  us.  I  said  that  I  thought  /  was 
worth  his  coming  home  to  see  ;  and  wondered  why 
he  didn't  come  .  You  see,  I've  been  explaining  as 
you  read,  so  if  you  found  a  word  you  couldn't  read, 
you  would  know  what  it  was  from  hearing  me  tell 
you.  I  guess  that  he  can  read  it,  though." 
He  asks  her — staring  vacantly  at  space, — 

"  Do  you  know  where  to  send  it  ?  " 

And  she  replies,  awed  by  his  solemn  face, — 

"  Yes,  it's  written  on  an  envelope— the  place  mamma  did 
used  to  send  her  letters.  But  a  day  or  two  ago  I 
heard  her  say  she  hasn't  written  him  for  two  years 
now.  But  I  don't  find  it  on  the  table — here  !  it's 
fallen  on  the  floor.  Oh,  Mr.  Charlton,  now  what  have 
you  done  ?  " 

"  I've  spilled  the  ink,  and  it  is  streaked  along  your  dress." 

"  And  now  mamma  will  ask  how  it  was  done,  and  I  will 
have  to  tell  her  every  single  thing,  when  it  was  to 
have  been  my  secret !  Oh,  what  shall  I  do  ?  " 

"  Just  tell  her  how  I  spilled  the  ink,  directing  a  letter  to 
a  friend  of  mine." 

u  Wouldn't  that  be  a  lie?" 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  13 

At  his  stern  answer  Gladys' features  seemed  to  freeze. 

"  Yes,  it  would  be  a  lie,  for  Robert  Kent  is  not  a  friend 
of  mine  !  Have  you  another  apron  just  like  this  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  three  of  them." 

"  Then  give  me  this,  and  I  will  have  another  made  so 
near  like  it  no  one  can  tell  the  difference.  It's  not 
stained  through  on  to  your  dress,  and  not  a  drop 
went  on  the  carpet.  Hurry,  darling,  get  your  apron 
off,  and  I'll  address  the  letter  while  your  gone." 
( Gladys  quickly  leaves  the  room.)  "Now  let  me  see 
if  I  can  streak  another  drop  of  ink  !  (writes)  '  Robert 

Kent,  care  of  ,  Rio  Janeiro,  South  America.' 

(  With  the  letter  at  arm's  length.)  Through  you  I  will 
give  God  the  means  to  thwart  my  schemes.  (Gladys 
enters,  having  cast  the  Holland  apron  from  her  dress.) 
You've  shed  your  chrysalis  as  it  were  !  Now  sign 
your  name,  and  I  will  mail  the  letter  for  you,  dear. 
But  let  me  take  the  apron,  here." 

With  painful  features  Gladys  signs  ; 
And  Charlton  asks,  for  his  designs, — 

"  Let's  see  !  How  shall  I  carry  this  ?  " 

Gladys,  every  nerve  confused, 

Grows  excited  : 

"  Someone  is  coming,  Mr.  Charlton  !     Quick  !  " 
u  Give  me  the  letter  and  excuse  me,  please  !  " 

He  steps  into  a  corner  of  the  room. 

A  woman  is  seen  standing  at  the  door : 

"  Gladys,  you  dear,  delicious,  little  sweet  I  Is  mamma 
in? — No  salutation?  well  that  is  a  cut  !  — Still  silent? 
Is  your  mamma  in  ?  " 

"  N-n-n-no  ma'am  ;  she's  not  at  home." 


14  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

"  That's  what  we  call l  a  chestnut '  in  society.  No  answer  ? 
Well !  have  I  offended  her  ? — I'll  ask  you  plainly, 
then,  may  I  come  in?  — Mrs.  Townsend  coldly  treated 
at  the  door  of  Margaret  Kent !  I  shall  at  least  demand 
an  explanation,  hence  I  must  come  in.  (Enters.) 
Oh,  Roger  Charlton  !  are  you  here  ?  " 

He  glances  at  himself  from  neck  to  foot : — 

u  Yes,  and  (his  hand  to  Mrs.  Townsend's  mouth  is  put) 
to-day  I'll  let  them  know  that  Robert  Kent  will  die 
by  my  own  hand  if  Margaret  refuses  to  become 
divorced." 

She  points  at  Gladys  in  alarm : — 

"  Is  it  suspected  I  am  in  with  you  ?  " 

For  both  have  planned  to  do  Kent  Ivarm: — 

u  Oh  no,  but  don't  be  friendly,  or  you  will  be  off  your 

guard." 
Miss  Longstaffe  enters, — Margaret's  chaperon, 

Her  presence  Mrs.  T assumes  unknoivn  : 

"  Only  a  thief  without  intelligence  would  do  what  you 
have  evidently  tried  to  do." 

And  Mrs.  Townsend  looks  at  Charlton, 
Who  attempts  to  hide  the  apron  ; 
Points  at  Gladys,  who  is  nervous : 

"  I  need  no  explanation  to  surmise  that  you  have  stolen 

something  from  this  child." 
Stern  Miss  Longstaffe  remarks,  quite  unsuspectingly : — 

"  A  strong  imagination  is  guided  by  its  own  propensities, 

but  mine  can't  follow  yours.     Explain." 
Mrs.  Townsend  sees  what  he  has  hid: — 

"  Explain^  or  you  will  be  arrested  in  the  act." 

He  wishes  himself  of  the  woman  rid  : — 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  15 

"  Explain,  and  you  will  be  arrested  in  the  tongue!  " 

Shrewd  Mrs.  Townsend  ivants  no  explanations, 
But  merely  to  show  no  friendly  relations : 

"  Gladys,  will  you  tell  what  this  thief  has  taken  from 

you  ?  " 

"  I'll  tell  what  Mr.  Charlton  has  ! " 
"  Excuse  me,  Gladys,  but  it  really  is  none  of  Mrs.  Town- 

send's  business  ;  and  Mrs.  Townsend,  I  believe  that 

Gladys   will  desire  my   friendship  quite  as  long  as 

yours." 

She  gives  to  him  a  smile  behind  the  back 

Of  Miss  Longstaffe,  who  beckons  him  to  her. 

Grave  Miss  Longstaffe  and  Charlton  leave  the  room. 

"  Well,  wel],  my  little  dear,  I  didn't  mean  to  hurt  your 
feelings  so  !  Come,  make  a  confidante  of  me.  What 
is  it  all  about  ?  " 

"  I  wrote  a  letter  to  my  lost  papa,  and  Mr.  Charlton  said 
that  he  would  mail  it  for  me  when  he  went." 

"  Gome,  let  me  see  the  letter,  please." 

"  Why  !  he  has  taken  it  away." 

"  Oh,  then  the  letter  >s  safe." 

And  Mrs.  Townsend  thinks  she  will  depart. 

— Poor  Gladys  moans,  with  hand  upon  her  heart, — 

"  I  feel  as  if  a  thunder-storm  was  coming  up  inside 
of  me  ! " 

Miss  Longstaffe,  seeming  satisfied, 
Returns  with  Charlton  at  her  side. 

"  I  s'pose  you've  heard  the  latest  social  news  from  our 
reporter, — Mrs.  Townsend  ?  It's  in  the  daily  paper, 
here,  of  yesterday." 

He  speaks  in  anger,  strolling  towards  the  fire. 
Miss  Longstaffe  reads  a  book  to  cool  his  ire. 


16  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

"  Well,  she  has  written  such  an  article,  that  from  its 
import  Margaret  Kent  and  I  are  desperately  in  love, 
and  only  one  conclusion  can  its  readers  reach  ;  that 
Margaret  will  have  a  scandal  or  a  quick  divorce  from 
Rohert  Kent  should  he  return  from  South  America. 
Our  social  Modesty  has  grown  so  bold,  that  Curiosity 
now  goes  stark  naked  through  our  drawing-rooms  in 
search  of  wanton  gossip  :  for  everybody  knows  that 
Mrs.  Townsend  is  reporter  on  this  paper  for  the  social 
news,  and  yet  she  is  received  in  good  society.  But 
that  which  stirs  the  furies  of  my  mental  elements,  is 
that  this  article  was  an  attempt  on  Mrs.  Townsend's 
part  to  show  to  Mrs.  Kent  the  dangerous  folly  of  thus 
living  a  deserted  wife.  I  will  admit  that  she's  wise 
in  her  conclusion,  but  think  she  lacks  the  wit  to  use 
her  wisdom,  for  Margaret  does  not  agree  with  her,  and 
steady  opposition  merely  makes  each  stronger  in  her 
own.  I  think  if  all  her  friends  would  say  to  Mar- 
garet Kent :  '  swear  that  you  love  your  husband, 
though  you  sleep  to  dream  of  his  unfaithfulness,  with 
your  head  pillowed  on  his  foul  disgrace  :  swear  that 
you  love  your  husband,  though  each  morning  you 
must  bathe  in  memories  slimy  with  his  vile,  disgusting 
filth  :  swear  by  your  then  clean  honesty  that  dearer 
than  your  God  you  prize  him  as  a  fitting  subject  in 
your  morning  prayer  of  thanks  for  food  provided  by 
your  own  sweet  toil,  and  salted  with  the  sweat  of 
your  pure  brow;  and  give  him  glowing  gratitude 
for  turning  into  wine  the  sparkling  water  of  his 
stinking  vomit :  your  sacred  duty  lies  in  doing  this. 
And  more  :  when  for  a  kiss  he  sweetly  spits  into 
your  face  tobacco  juice — '  r> 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  17 

Miss  Longstaffe  shuts  her  hook  with  a  report : — 

"  I  beg  you,  Mr.  Charlton,  stop  !  the  stench  already's 
dense  enough." 

Young  Charlton  answers  her,  with  accents  short : — 

"  Miss  Longstaffe,  I  love  Margaret,  but  feel  just  like  a 
cat,  whom  that  dog,  Robert  Kent,  has  driven  up  a 
friendly  pole,  to  which  T  cling  ! " 
Miss  Longstaffe  starts  to  read  her  book  again : — 
"  You  are  a  poled-cat,  then." 

And  Charlton's  tone  begins  another  strain  : — 
"  I  beg  your  pardon  if  I  have  become  offensive,   Miss 

Longstaffe." 

Miss  Longstaffe  sternly  motions  Gladys  out ; 
And  Gladys  goes  the  longest  way  about. 

"  Then  think  of  this  :  the  more  offensive  ness  you  throw  on 
him,  the  more  offensive  you  yourself  become." 

Charlton  bows  his  head;  then  raises  it. 

— His  voice  seems  rising  Jrom  his stomaclis pit: — 

"I  wish  to  be  despised  by  you.  Now  listen:  Margaret 
still  clings  to  Robert  Kent  by  what  she  calls  a  love 
of  honor,  not  a  love  for  him,  and  she  bids  fair  to 
sacrifice  her  entire  life  to  that  one  selfish  sentiment. 
I  have  resolved  it  shall  no  longer  be.  She  thinks 
that  only  death  should  cancel  obligations  of  the 
marriage  vows,  and  if  to-day  she  still  persists  in 
playing  martyr  to  that  thought,  I  have  resolved  to 
take  the  death  of  Robert  Kent  upon  my  soul,  but 
that  once  done,  I  never  more  can  be  the  lover  I  have 
been.  I  do  not  wish  that  Margaret  should  ever  know 
by  whose  hand  she  was  freed,  and  hence  I  shall 
evade  the  law  if  possible,  and  go  away  from  her  when 
it  is  done.  She  shall  have  satisfactory  proof  that 
Robert  Kent  is  dead,  but  never  need  know  how  he 
met  his  fate." 


18  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

Mis*  Longstaffe  has  arisen  to  her  feet, 

And  forced  young  Charlton  down  into  a  -seat: — 

"  Margaret  will  never  be  divorced  from  Robert  Kent, — 
but  you — you  must  not  do  this  thing." 

Gladys  enters,  staring  at  her  aunt: — 

"  Mamma  is  waiting  in  the  hall,  will  you  please  go  an 
errand  with  her  ?  It  won't  take  you  very  long." 

And  Charlton  glances  back,  with  look  askant: — 

"  I'd  follow  her  into  the  grave  to  be  with  her." 

And  leaves  the  room: — 

"  What  is  a  pole-cat,  auntie,  dear  ?  Is  Mr.  Charlton 
one  ?  " — Is  ashed  of  Miss  Longstaffe. 

Nothing  yet  made  the  woman  deign  to  laugh: — 

"  Sometimes  he  is.  Gladys,  prepare  the  tea.  I  think 
that  Mrs.  Townsend  will  be  in  again  to  see  your 
mother  soon." 

With  which  she  leaves  her, — A  self-made  old  mail/. 
Gladys  is  noiv  at  ease, — of  none  afraid: — 

"  I  wonder  what  a  pole-cat  is  ! — a  pole-cat !  It  may  be 
Mrs.  Townsend  will  know  why  he  is  a  pole-cat !  The 
trouble  is  she  talks  so  much  herself,  that  I  can't  get 
a  chance  to  say  a  word.  — But  I  know  how  I'll  do 
it  ! — When  she  asks,  *  Is  mamma  in  ?'  I'll  answer 
her,  '  No  ma'am,  she's  out  with  Mr.  Charlton  ! '  Then, 
before  she  has  a  chance  to  speak  a  word,  I'll  say, 
'  Miss  Longstaffe  says  he  is  a  pole-cat.  What  is  a 
pole-cat?7  That's  just  the  way  we'll  do!  Now 
she'll  come  in  the  door  right  here, — (opens  door) 
And  I  will  say,  'Why  Mrs.  Townsend!  won't  you 
take  a  chair  ?'  Of  course  she'll  say  the  thing  she 
always  does,  'Oh  thanks,  you  dear,  delicious,  little 
sweet !  Is  mamma  in  ?', — and  I  will  say,  '  No  ma'am, 
she's  out  with  Mr.  Charlton,  Miss  Longstaffe  says 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  19 

he  is  a  pole-cat.  What  is  a  pole-cat?'  That's  per- 
fect. Now  again:  'Why  Mrs.  Townsend  !  won't  you 
take  a  chair?  H  Oh  thanks,  you  dear,  delicious,  little 
sweet  !  Is  mamma  in?' — l  No  ma'am,  she's  out  with 
Mr.  Charlton.  Miss  Longstaffe  says  he  is  a  pole-cat. 
What  is  a  pole-cat?' — And  now  if  she  would  come  I 
could  remember  everything.  (Sits  down.)  Oh,  Mrs. 
Townsend,  Mrs.  Townsend,  I  do,  do  wish  you'd 
come." 

Her  wish  is  granted  speedily, 
For  Mrs.  Toivnsend  enters  : 

"  You  dear,  delicious,  little  sweet  !  then  you  do  love  to 
have  me  come  ;  and  you've  been  waiting  for  me  and 
(taking  Gladys  in  her  lap  she  sits  down  in  Gladys'  chair) 
did  you  get  angry  with  me  'cause  I  didn't  come  right 
back  ?  Here  dearest  give  me  one  big  kiss  !  " 

Gladys,  bewildered  with  surprise, 
Recalls  her  cue  and  tries  to  rise  : 

"  Why,  why  Mrs.  Townsend  !  won't  you  take  a  chair  ?  " 

"  What,  darling  !  Have  I  taken  yours  ?  Well,  you'll 
forgive  me,  won't  you,  dear?  You  are  receiving  callers 
all  alone,  and  so  of  course  must  keep  your  dignity. 
You  are  too  irresi stable  !  " 

"  (I  wish  you'd  ask,  'Is  mamma  in  ?  '  )  " 

"  And  may  I  stay  awhile  ?  " 

u  Yes.  Uncle  Olney  Kent  comes  in  on  Tuesday  after- 
noons, and  you're  a  little  late,  but  I  don't  think  he'll 
mind.  Miss  Longstaffe  says  —  " 

"  You  say  that  Olney  Kent  comes  in  on  Tuesday  after- 
noons !  Is  he  the  poet,  known  as  '  Mr.  Bell  ?  " 

"  Yes  ma'am.     Miss  LongstafTe  says  —  " 

"  Then  I  will  ]earn  to-day  if  he  repents  his  treatment  of 


20  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

me   yet !    I  dare  say  that  your  pretty   mamma   is 
beseiged  with  gentlemen  ?  " 
"  Beseiged  ?  " 

"  I  mean  that  many  gentlemen  come  here  to  see  her." 
"  Yes,  there  do.     Miss  LongstafFe  says —  " 
u  Tell  me  about  them  dear,  who  are  they  all  ?  " 
u  Oh,  there  are  many  of  them  and  I  don't  remember  all 
the  names.     There's  Uncle  Olney  Kent  and  Colonel 
Weir  and  Mr.  Charlton,  Tom  Updegraeffe  and  George 
— Oh,  I  forget  who  they  all  are." 

"  And  so  your  mamma's  in  with  all  of  these  fine  gentle- 
men ?  " 

"  No  ma'am,  she's  out  with  Mr.  Charlton.  She  says  he 
is  a  pole-cat  —  " 

Gladys,  having  got  this  far, 
Forgets  what  she  was  after 
A  nd  Mrs.  Townsend  passes  on 
With  a  merry,  rippling  laughter : — 

"  What  !  what !  she's  fallen  out  with  Charlton  ?  She 
says  he  is  a  pole-cat  ?  How  she  hates  him  then  !  He 
has  told  her  his  intentions  regarding  Robert  Kent. 
Well,  I'll  take  care  that  no  suspicions  fall  on  me." 

"  They're  coming  now." 

"  What  !  They're  together  yet  ?  " 

A  moment's  pause — and  Margaret  enters,  smiling 
On  Charlton,  whom  she  seemed  to  be  reviling : — 

"  Don't  you  know  Mr.  Charlton,  Lilly  ?  I  thought  you 
were  acquainted." 

Margaret  asks,  and  Mrs.  Toivnsend  bows 
To  Charlton  while  her  face  no  smile  allows : 

"  I  never  yet  have  had  the  honor  of  an  intimate  acquaint- 
ance. But  I've  heard  much  of  him  ;  for  let  me  warn 
you  thai  your  little  Gladys,  here,  is  something  of  a 


THE   TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS  21 

spy  between  yourself  and  your  adorers.  She  just 
now  left  with  me  the  burden  of  a  secret  that  concerns 
you  both." 

Charlton,  disgusted  with  her  bold  deceit 
In  playing  they  are  strangers,  speaks: — 

"  You  say  the  secret  is  a  burden  !  Can't  we  help  you  bear 
it  then  ?  give  us  some  clue.  What  is  it  like  ?  " 

"  Gladys  compared  the  substance  of  it  to  a  -  a  skunk." 

"  No  wonder  that  you  quickly  tire  of  such  a  burden  and 
wish  to  shift  it  onto  us." 

"  You  don't  believe  in  bearing  other's  burdens,  then  ?  " 
Margaret,  disgusted  with  them  both, 
Withdraws ;  and  Charlton  groivs  more  wroth  : 

"  Well  that  depends.     We  have  before  us  an  example  in 

a  woman  burdened  with  a too  vile  to  name  ! 

Good  common  sense  would  say  to  merely  drop  the 
thing,  as  foolishness  to  longer  carry  it.  What  say 
you,  Margaret  ?  Oh  !  " 

u  Ah,  Charlton,  what  a  wit  you  have  !  Of  course  you 
now  refer  to  Margaret  being  burdened  with  her  hus- 
band, and  I  agree  with  you,  he  is  a  ,  and 

Margaret  is  really  a  fool  to  carry  such  a  burden  as  he 
is." 

Gladys  speaks  :  the  clouding  atmosphere  ^'^^^^^QJ 

Announces  that  her  thunderstorm  is  near :  ^^  ^-  OF  THE^  ^ 

"  I  wish  you'd  go  !  "  f  TJ1CIVERSI. 

And  Charlton,  following  the  lightning  dart,  \^  Q      '• 

Thunders— to  quail  the  woman's  heart  : 

a  Not  one  word  more.  Remember  that  you  are  her 
guest  and  she  her  mistress,  though  she  be  his  wife  ; 
and  as  her  mistress,  she  should  guide  herself  in  being 
what  his  wife  should  be,  her  husband's  honored 
mistress,  and  she  just  said  to  me  that  not  until  her 
honor  leaves,  will  she  leave  Robert  Kent." 


22  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

The  clouds  seem  parted  with  sunlight, 
As  Margaret  illumes  the  scene  : — 

"  My  honored  duty  is  to  honor  him  by  still  acknowledging 
'  I  am  his  wife.'  " 

Another  flash  from  Gladys  lights  a  cloud: 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Townsend,  I  do-  do  wish  you'd  go  \  " 

Again  the  storm  hangs  over  like  a  shroud  : 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  but  I  thought  you  didn't  care  for 

him,  since  he's  deserted  you  for  these  six  years." 
Glady»  stern  face  suddenly  grows  milder  ; 
And  a^  she  leaves  the  room  each  step  grows  wilder  : — 

u  (Oh,  I  know  how  to  make  her  go  !  )  " 

Margaret's  face  seems  made  of  alabaster, 
As  she  replies  : — 

u  I  do  not  care  for  him,  but  he  is  still  alive — is  my  child's 
father,  and  as  the  father  of  my  child,  I  shall  acknowl- 
edge him  to  be  my  husband,  for  the  child  is  witness 
of  a  love  that  only  death  should  violate.  Father  and 
mother  should  be  man  and  wife  while  both  are  on 
this  earth." 
But  Mrs.  Townsend  will  not  be  subdued: — 

"  And  you  consider  that  the  law  which  grants  them  a 
divorce  should  be  repealed  ?  " 

Margaret  seems  with  a  Divinity  imbued: — 

"  The  law  should  have  the  power  to  separate  them,  but 
it  should  not  give  the  right  to  marry  while  the  other 
lives." 

Charlton  speaks  as  a  philosopher: — 

"  I  think  the  law  should  have  the  power  to  separate  them, 
and  that  to  the  guilty  one  it  should  not  give  the  right 
to  marry  for  the  second  time,  but  to  the  one  who  has 
not  sinned,  re-marriage  is  a  question  in  which  con- 
science should  decide." 

And  she  replies: 


THE    TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS  8 

"  Then  I'm  decided  that  his  death  or  mine  alone  can 
break  our  marriage  chains." 

Grim  Charlton  shut  his  jaws  so  tight  they  crack, 
But  Mrs.  Townsend  smiles  behind  his  back  : 

"  You're  sure  it  is  not  pride  which  makes  you  shrink  from 
a  divorce  ?  " 

"  It  is  not  pride  ;  for  pride  would  spurn  the  life  which 
I  now  lead.  How  could  I  be  humiliated  more  than 
by  the  fact  that  Robert  Kent  is  my  acknowledged 
husband  ?  It  is  a  simple  love  of  honor  and  respect 
which  I  owe  to  myself  for  having  been,  and  being, 
what  I  am  to  him  :  a  power  which  has  changed  and 
will  change  his  life  to  something  better  than  it  would 
have  been  had  he  not  known  the  love  of  Margaret 
Kent," 

Mrs.  Townsend  gives  his  back  another  smile, 
And  adds, — continuing  to  beguile : — 
u  You  search  for  honor  in  humiliation." 

But  Charlton  whispers,  as  the  light  words  pass: — 
u  (You're  balking  my  scheme  now  ;  you  treacherous  ass!) 
We  need  not  argue  more.  As  Margaret  believes  that 
only  death  should  stain  the  sacred  purity  of  marriage 
vows,  the  pure  humiliation  of  her  martyrdom  to  that 
belief  reflects  her  spotless  honor." 

The  shrewd  woman  fears  future  questions  whether 
She  and  Charlton  ever  schemed  together: — 

"  It's  strange  that  you  should  talk  like  this,  when 
evidently  you  would  gladly  take  her  for  your  wife  if 
she  was  free." 

Margaret  looks  as, — with  a  bound — 
A  stag  might  look  back  at  a  hound  : — 

"  Do  not  again  insult  the  love  of  Roger  Charlton  and 
myself!" 


24  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

Gladys  enters,  hading  Miss  Longstafft; 
And  Mrs.  Townsend,  turning  at  the  sound. 
Attempts  to  lick  her  hand — as  might  a  hound: — 

u  A  very  pleasant  evening  Miss  Longstaffe  !  " 

Miss  Longstajfe,  taking  with  a  sweeping  glance 
The  situation,  sees  at  once  her  chance  : — 

u  I  hardly  think  you  think  so.  Mr.  Charlton,  will  you 
sing  for  us  ?  Choose  any  of  your  songs  :  it  doesn't 
matter  which." 

She  takes  her  instrument — a  violin — 

And  Margaret  the  piano: — they  begin: — 

"  Suppose  I  give  you  one  entitled  '  The  Untold  Secret  of 
a  Gossip-Monger  ?  ' : 

Again  disgusted,  Margaret  leaves  the  room. 
The  evening  shadows  darken  to  a  gloom. 

"  I  don't  know  it.     Please  sing,  '  I  stood  on  the  Bridge 

at  Midnight,  while  '  "— 
u  I'll  sing  '  I  Stood  on  Ceremony,  while  she  stood  on  toe, 

for  I  was  too  polite  to  say,  I  wish  that  you  would  go/  ': 

He  looks  at  Mrs.  Townsend  with  a  glare. 

She  lightly  laughs',  but  meets  him  with  a  stare: — 

"  I  think  it  time  that  I  am  moving  on.     Good  afternoon!  " 
u  Good-night!  " 

And  Mrs.  Townsend  leaves  the  room. 
u  I  must  say,  Mr.  Charlton,  that  I  think  your  hint  was 

rather  coarse.'7 

'*  When  she  was  coarse,  why  should  it  have  been  other- 
wise?" 

"  If  left  with  me  it  would  have  been — " 
"  Refined  upon  your  violin,  till  it  became  invisible!  " 

Margaret  enters,  with  an  injured  air, 
Expecting  to  see  Mrs.  Townsend  there. 

u  She  raises  in  me  all  the  furies  of  a  female  mind.  She 
asks  for  facts  which  fret  me,  and  gives  those  truths 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  25 

which  gall  me.  She  feels  herself  above  me,  but  one 
can  see  the  stilts  on  which  she  walks,  for  she  is  a 
reporter  in  disguise,  and  makes  her  cash  in  specula- 
tive gossip,  while  I  make  mine  in  speculative  poetry. 
But  after  all,  it  is  a  question  which  the  world  desires 
the  most.  I  half  believe  that  if  we  get  to  heaven, 
she  will  be  in  more  demand  than  I." 

Margaret  settles  in  the  sofas  furs, 

And  Gladys  comes  and  lays  a  hand  in  hers: — 
u  And  do  you  think  I  will  be  wanted  there,  mamma?'1 
"  Yes,  darling,  for  the  guardian  of  my  conscience.     I  can 
hold  my   temper   if  I    merely   look  at  you.     Yet  it's 
my  jealousy   that   is    excited:    for   her   occupation 
carries  her  into  society,  while  I  must  sit  alone  here 
evening  after  evening  to  compose  my  fifteen  dollar 
sonnets." 

Gharlton  comes  and  sits  down  by  her  side, 

And  loving  Gladys  hugs  him  like  a  bride: — 

"  A  sonnet  ought  to  bring  you  fifty  dollars,  Margaret !  " 

u  I  wish  you  were  an  editor,  for  never  did  we  need  the 
money  more  than  now.  Our  European  trip  with  you 
had  nearly  ruined  us,  and  fitting  up  these  rooms  has 
quite  completed  it.  Miss  LongstafFe's  pictures  ought 
to  selL  She  now  has  two  or  three  at  Bernhart's 
which  really  should  take  the  eye  of  connoisseurs." 

u  At  Bernhart's  !  Ah  !  Why  not  display  them  at  '  The 
Fair  ?  '  They  might  c  take  '  well." 

u  I'd  like  to  see  them  take  a  farewell  :  we  need  the  money 
now." 

"  I  think  I'll  take  my  farewell,  with  hearty  wishes  for 
their  wellfare.  I'd  like  to  be  excused  from  tea.  By 
Time's  immortal  age  !  it's  getting  late.  Come,  I'll 
be  off !  " 


26  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

"Well,  come  in  often." 

"  Can  I  come  oftener  when  I  come  oftenest  now  ?  " 
u  Cannot  the  best  be  bettered  ?  " 
"  The  best  bread  can  be  buttered  ?  " 
u  But  see  if  you  cannot  be  better  bred,  and  not  resist  my 
hospitality.     Good-night !  " 

"  Good-night    your  Wittiness !    Here  Gladys,   one   last 

kiss!" 

3/ws  Lonfjxtaffe  has  been  plunged  in  painful  thought, 

A  state  which  Charlton  s  threat  toward  Kent  Jiad  wrought; — 

She  rises  in  a  half -uncertain  way, 

As  if  not  yet  decided  what  to  say  : — 

"  Mr.  Charlton  !  —  " 

"  Ye-es?'' 

"  Well,  never  mind.     Good -night !  " 

Charlton  gives  one  lingering  look  around, 

Then  sadly  bends  his  sight  toward  the  ground  : — 

"  Good-night." 

Gladys  notes  the  sadness  of  his  eye, 
A  nd  follows  him  when  he  has  passed  her  by. 
When  both  have  gone  Miss  Longstaffe's  voice  begins 
As  though  her  every  nerve  was  pricked  with  pins: — 
"  I  dislike  them  all,  and  Charlton  in  particular,  who  now 
willjbuy  my  pictures,  and  on  whose  charity  we'll  live 
for  months  to  come.  How  could  you  give  that  hint?  " 
u  'Twas  easier  to  give  that  single  hint  than  write  a  poem 
full   of  them,  arid  probably  more  lucrative.     We're 
suffering  from  poverty,  he  is  immensely  rich,  and  he 
enjoys  the  giving  more  than  we  do  the  receiving  it. 
Nor  is  it  charity  ;  because  we  give  the  pictures,  which 
are  fully  worth  all  we  receive  for  them.     We'll  never 
take  a  penny  which  we  do  not  earn." 
u  But  when  you  gave  that  hint,  where  was  your  pride?  " 
"  Invested  in  the  future  lucrative  returns." 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  27 

"  Your  pride  should  be  invested  in  yourself." 

"  My  head's  not  thick  enough  to  keep  it  in.  All  my 
emotions,  thoughts,  and  sentiments  escape  in  spite 
of  me." 

"  But  you  should  check  them,  Margaret." 

"  How?  Check  them  as  phrenologists  would  do,  by 
labeling  every  faculty,  and  learning  in  explicit  terms 
its  use,  its  quantity  and  quality,  with  recipes  for 
mixing  faculties  in  order  to  make  money,  friends, 
honor,  love,  or  anything  desired  ?  I  hate  such 
method  in  one's  madness.  Give  me  Nature's  orderly 
confusion!" 

"  And  do  you  think  it  always  ends  in  harmony?" 

Some  one  is  softly  tapping  at  the  door. 

Miss  Longstaffe  quickly  rises,  but  be/ore 

She  opens,  waits  for  Margaret's  reply; 

And  Margaret  answers, — with  a  iveary  sigh: — 

"  Let  my  death  answer  you." 

A  fine  old  man,  with  nearly  snow-white  hair, 
Has  entered.     Miss  Longstaffe  has  gone. 

"  Oh,  Uncle  Olney  !  I  had  feared   that  you  would  not 

come  in  this  afternoon." 

"  I  came  not  in,  yet  I  am  in.     'Canst  fathom  that?' " 
u  I  cannot  with  my  senses.     No." 
''  Coming  to  your   door  awhile    ago,  I  heard    so   many 

voices  that  I  crept  away;  but  found  I  couldn't  bear 

the  disappointment  of  not  seeing  you,  and  so  have 

come  again.     Are  you  alone?" 
"  I  think  so.     All   the   company    and    Miss    Longstaffe 

have  gone." 

She  draws  a  large  armchair  up  to  the  fire, 
And  there  invites  the  somewhat  feeble  sire. 

"  Now   that   I'm  getting   old,   I   sometimes   think    that 


28  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

Providence  provides  for  me  when  I  cannot;  for  I 
have  tried  to  find  you  thus  alone,  and  failed.  Yes, 
let  me  sit  down  by  the  fire,  for  I  am  feeble,  and  have 
not  recovered  from  my  sickness  yet.  Margaret,  we 
have  had  many  secret  confidences  in  the  past,  but 
I  now  wish  to  tell  you  something  which  before  I  have 
not  had  the  heart  to  do.  Come,  sit  by  me,  and  let 
me  hold  your  hand." 

Margaret  draivs  a  stool  up  to  his  feet, 
And  sweetly  settles  on  the  humble  seat. 

11  Margaret,  can  you  imagine  that  a  man  like  me,  regarded 
as  a  confirmed  bachelor,  could  love?  " 

She  glances  up  at  him  with  childish  face  : — 

"  Oh,  dear,  you  must  not  speak  like  this.  You  know  my 
situation.  We  can  be  the  warmest  friends,  and  you 
have  always  been  to  me  the  dearest  one,  but  do  not 
speak  of  love." 

And  he  replies,  ivith  yet  unhardened  grace: — 

u  You  quite  misunderstand  me,  Margaret.     I  will  explain 

by  saying  that  I  am  no  bachelor." 
u  I  always  thought  you  an  unmarried  man!  " 
u  And  so  I  am." 
u  If  you  are  not  a  bachelor,  nor  a  married  man,  what  are 

you  then  in  this  respect?" 
u  Simply  an  unmarried  man." 
"  Then  I  should  say  you  were  a  bachelor! " 
"  I  dropped  that  title  when  I  married." 
•'  You  said  you  were  unmarried,  though!  " 
"  My  marriage  was  undone,  and  I  thereby  unmarried." 
"  Oh,  dear,  I  might  have  thought  of  that!     Is  she  alive 

or  dead?" 
"  I  just  heard, — through  this  letter, —  that  she  has  been 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  29 

dead  for  some  time  past.  When  many  years  had 
flown  above  our  married  life,  she  had  another  love, 
and  in  that  way  divorced  herself  from  me:  for  when 
the  sacredness  of  marriage  is  polluted,  every  bond  of 
God  is  cleft  in  twain." 

"  But  were  you  ever  legally  divorced  from  her?  " 
"  Yes:  let  no  man  join  what  God  hath  put  asunder." 
"  What  do  you  think  of  my  position,  then?  " 
"  Published  in  the  daily  Chronicle  of  yesterday,  I  saw  an 
article,  connecting  you  with  Roger  Charlton,  which 
caused  my  watery  blood  to  boil  as  it  had  never  done 
for  years   before;  and   that   it  was  which  drove  me 
here  to   talk  with  you,   and  as   your  truest  friend, 
who  seeks  alone  your  welfare,  to  ascertain  the  views 
you  hold  upon  this  subject,  and  to  give  you  mine: 
and  then,  if  you  should  see  as  I  now  do,  I  ask  you, 
Margaret,  to   break   your  present   chains,  and   link 
your  future  happiness  to  mine. 

u  I  have  my  grand  old  country  home  ;  but  you  have  not 
a  home  at  all.  My  life  is  lonely  ;  yours  can  be  but 
little  else.  As  you  now  stand,  the  dangers  from  these 
untried  youths  surround  ;  but  if  with  me,  the  long 
tried  friendship  of  an  older  mind  would  always  be 
around,  and  your  sweet  child  would  have  a  Paradise 
of  Nature's  purity  surrounding  her.  I  think  I  could 
supply  your  every  want.  My  literary  works  have 
always  lacked  a  central  figure  on  which  they  could 
concentrate  their  power  and  with  the  moderate  fame 
which  I  already  have,  I  think  I  could  exalt  you  by 
my  love  and  poetry  to  earthly  immortality.  Tis  not 
conceit  which  makes  me  come  before  these  youths 
whose  greener  charms  make  pallid  my  old  age,  but 


30  THE   TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS 

that  I  think  my  love  could  give  to  you  more  happiness 
than  theirs.  (Mrs.  Toivnsend  has  not  gone  as  yet,  and 
at  the  door  takes  what  her  ears  can  get.)  But  whether 
you  become  my  wife  or  not,  one  half  my  fortune  I 
bequeath  to  you.  (Having  heard  what  she  desires,  the 
woman  at  the  door  retires.)  Now  let  me  first  convince 
your  reason  that  your  present  life  is  guided  by  mis- 
taken views  of  right  and  wrong  and  then  I'll  leave 
you  free  to  choose  your  future  lot." 

Margaret's  breast  has  seemed  to  be  afire  : 

Her  words  like  smoke  now  rise  toward  the  sire: — 

u  If  I,  this  very  day  was  free,  your  arms  could  be  my 
heaven's  boundary  ;  for  if  I  ever  longed  for  freedom 
it  was  but  a  passing  sigh  for  rest.  But  having  heard 
me  say  repeatedly — that  as  I  am,  so  must  I  be — know- 
ing, that  conscientiously,  I  cannot  change  my  present 
life — how  can  you  be  so  cruel  as  to  say  to  me — such 
words  as  these  ?  Do  not  produce  your  arguments. 
/  am,  till  death,  the  wife  of  Robert  Kent." 

Suddenly  is  heard  a  knocking, 

The  quick  ear  of  Silence  shocking. 

Miss  Longstaffe  opens  the  door, 

And  again  is  seen  no  more. 

"  Why,  Alex,  my  dear  boy  !  What  brings  you  here  ? 
But  wait.  Allow  me,  Mrs.  Kent,  to  introduce  to  you 
my  nephew,  Dr.  Walton,  just  arrived  from  Philadel- 
phia. Alex,  Mrs.  Kent  of  whom  you've  heard  me 
speak  so  frequently." 

Mrs.  Townsend  is  again  seen  to  appear. 
Walton  and  Margaret  seem  veiy  queer.  * 

"  Excuse  me,  Mrs.  Kent,  if  I  am  too  abrupt.  But  it  was 
necessary  I  should  see  my  Uncle  just  as  soon  as 
possible,  and,  entering  your  house,  I  met  a  woman 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  31 

at  the  door,  who  said  she  was  a  nurse  from  Bellevue 
Hospital,  and  that  she'd  brought  a  message  for  my 
Uncle. — Here  it  is." 

Ihe  old  man  takes  it  with  suspicious  looks: — 

u  It  bears  a  stamp  of  life  and  death, — a  hospital !" 

Young  Walton  s  movements  have  too  many  crooks, 

And  Margaret  is  embarrassed  until  this  man. 

When  their  eyes  met, — a  momentary  thing. 

It  startled  both,  as  such  things  only  can 

When  thoughts  take  flight  on  Fascinations  iving. 

u  Pardon  me,  Mrs.  Kent!  Your  heel  is  grinding  in  an 
envelope.  Permit  that  I  should  pick  the  letter  up 
for  you.  (He  hands  the  letter  from  which  Kent'* 
address  Charlton  had  copied. — Margaret's  thoughts 
digress  from  Walton, — who  seems  an  Ideal, — to  Robert 
Kent,  who  seems  to  her  too  real. — )  Uncle  is  in  a 
faint!  Will  you  assist  me  please?  It's  strange  he 
should  have  fainted  here.  Look  out!  You're  faint- 
ing, too!" 

For  Margaret  is  passing  through 
States  when  we  neither  ivake  nor  sleep, — 
Dangling  in  space  betwixt  the  two, — 
When  now  ive  soar; — and  now  we  creep. 
At  last  she  finds  herself  awake: — 

"  Look  at  your  Uncle,  please." 

But  Walton,  seemingly,  his  turn  must  take: — 
"  Why,  I  forgot  about  his  being  in  a  faint!     What  could 

have  brought  it  on?" 
"  That  message  lying  there,  of  course." 
"  It's  strange,  but  I  forgot  about  my  message,  too!" 
"  It's  strange,  but  you're  forgetting  all  about  yourself." 

Walton  awakes  himself  at  last, 
And  blushes  for  the  moment  past: — 

"  Come,  he  must  need   attention  !     Quick  !     Glance  at 


32  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

the  message,  please,  and  tell  me  what  it  is.  It  may 
require  an  answer  before  he  revives.  I'll  soon  revive 
him,  though,  with  this  ammonia." 

"  According  to  this  message,  his  wife  has  been,  for  ten 
years  past,  the  best  and  noblest  nurse  in  Bellevue 
Hospital,  but  now  is  lying  on  her  death-bed  suffering 
in  the  horrid  agonies  of  smallpox.  She  sends  to  him 
these  words:  CI  am  descending  into  Hell!  Have 
you  forgiven?  Answer  me.'  " 

u  I  understand!  The  eternal  misery  of  a  dying  woman 
turns  upon  a  word  from  him.  A  second  may  extend 
into  Eternity. — He  moves  his  lips!  Please  help  me, 
Mrs.  Kent,  to  catch  the  word.  Bend  closer: — listen 
now." 

In  eagerness  to  catch  the  word 

Their  cheeks  touch:  Margaret's  voice  is  heard, — 

As  over  her  love' 's passions  swell, — 

u  '  I  am  descending  into  Hell! ' 

Walton,  construing  her  intent, 
Knows  not  she  thinks  of  Robert  Kent, 
And  says, — supposing  that  her  strife 
Was  to  gam  pardon  for  the  wife, — 

Ct  Well  imitated.     He  has  answered,  '  JVo.' ': 

J/rx.  Townsend  has  crept  far  into  the  room, 

And  she  now  makes  herself  apparent  through  the  gloom: — 

"  Ah,  Margaret!     Have  you  made  another  friend  f  " 

u  Oh — I  beg  your  pardon!     We — you — I  didn't  notice  it 

was  getting  dark.     I'll  light  the  gas." 
';  Kisses  are  quite  enough  to  light  a  fireside  with." 

Margaret,  however,  lights  the  gas, 

As  Walton's  hand  pours  three  drops  in  a  glass: — 

u  There  madam,  is  our  apology.  We  were  reviving  Uncle 
from  a  faint." 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  33 

"  Rather  a  faint  apology!  " 

"  Come  Uncle,  out  into  the  hall.     A  breath  of  fresh  air 

will  be  good  for  you." 
"  Thanks,  Alex.     I  would  like  to  lean  on  Margaret,  if 

she  will  permit.     My  mind  needs  her  support." 

Mrs.  T grasps  Walton  by  the  arm. 

The  others  pass.  — She  takes  no  art  to  charm. 
"  I  do  not  need  an  introduction,  Sir." 
14  If  you  don't  need  one,  surely  I  do  not." 

And  Walton  turns  himself  away, 
But  she  resumes  without  delay: — 

"  Allow  me  to  introduce  you  to  your  mother,  please." 

"  Mother!     Give  me  her  name  to  hang  my  curses  on!  " 

"  Why  curse  at  her?  " 

"  Because  she  did  a  thing  the  meanest  beast  would  never 
do.  She  gave  rne  birth,  and  then  deserted  me." 

"  /  am  your  mother." 

"  Damn  you,  then!  " 

"  And  damn  your  Uncle  for  deserting  me." 

<k  What  do  you  mean?  " 

"  I  mean  that  I  was  once  your  Uncle's  wife.  That 
message  was  from  me.  I  wished  to  know  if  he 
repented  yet  of  his  divorce  from  me.  As  he  does  not, 
I  shall  proceed  to  even  my  account  with  him.  I — 7 
am  your  mother  and  your  Uncle's  wife." 

"  Vile  dam  !     And  who  am  I  ?  " 

"  Ha!  don't  you  know  yourself  ?  " 

"  I  only  know  what  Uncle  told  me:  that  one  bitter  night 
some  beastly  woman  left  me  at  his  door,  a  sucking 
babe." 

"  Did  he  not  know  that  woman  was  myself  ?  " 


34  THE   TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS 

"  I  think  he  would  have  killed  you  if  he  did.  You  say 
you  were  his  wife  !  Is  he  my  father,  then?  " 

"  No  sir,  you  are  a  bastard  son." 

"  A  bastard!  I  could  kill  you  and  my  father  for  the 
love  which  formed  my  soul." 

41  Don't  speak  so  loudly.  You'll  be  overheard.  Do  you 
desire  to  know  that  your  true  name  is  '  Robert  Olney 
Kent,'  the  same  one  which  your  Uncle  bears  ?  You 
legally  were  christened  that  before  I  left  you  at  his 
door.  Whatever  he  has  called  you  since  is  incorrect, 
because  it 's  not  your  legal  name.  Do  you  know 
what  the  name  of  l  Robert  Kent '  implies  ?  ' ; 

"  The  forfeiture  of  all  I  now  possess!  " 

"  To  gain  one-half  your  Uncle's  fortune,  and  a  wife." 

u  Can  your  tongue  be  connected  with  your  brain  ?  " 

"  My  mind  is.  Listen:  as  your  Uncle  has  not  known 
my  whereabouts,  this  revelation  has  been  kept  until 
to-day,  because  the  proper  time  had  not  arrived." 

"  And  why  not  until  now  ?  " 

"  I  have  just  ascertained  that  I  am  not  forgiven  by  your 
Uncle  for  my  hot  offense  to  him  when  I  loved  some- 
one else,  and  I  shall  now  begin  my  schemes  to  get 
control  of  half  his  fortune,  which  is  willed  to 
Margaret,  and  to  get  you  a  wife,  if,  as  a  wife,  you  can 
love  Margaret  Kent." 

"What?" 

"  Her  husband's  name  is  Robert  Olney  Kent,  and  yours 

is?" 

"•Robert  Olney  Kent!" 
"  Hence  Margaret's  marriage  paper  names  you   as  her 

legal  husband  ;  therefore  Margaret  is  —  " 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  35 

"  My  wife  ?  " 

"  By  all  the  laws  of  man.     Do  you  love  her  ?  " 

u  Love  her  !  love  her  ?  I've  never  met  her  but  this  once, 
yet  all  my  soul  is  in  the  passion  of  a  man  who  kills 
himself  or  has  what  he  desires  !  " 

"  Then  hear  me  and  obey.  Conceal  this  secret  of  your 
birth,  for  you  cannot  prove  anything  alone.  Resume 
your  old  name,  '  Dr.  Walton/  and  win  the  love  of 
Margaret  under  it  until  I  say  the  proper  time  has 
come — and  then,  rely  on  me  to  prove  that  Margaret 
is  your  wife.  Remember  me.  (Gives  him  her  card.) 
And  you,  sir,  are  to  be,  '  Dr.  Walton.' — Go. 

Walton  starts,  but  calls  back  from  side  hall: 

"  But  is  her  other  husband  dead  ?  " 

Miss  Longstaffe  enters  as  the  accents  fall — 

"  Yes,  Margaret's  Robert  Kent  is  dead  (Walton  goes  his 
ivay,  and  she  goes  on  to  say  —  )  or  soon  will  be  (is 

confronted  by  Miss  L ;  Mis.  T seems  entering 

Hell,)  if  Roger  Charlton's  manner  tells  the  truth  1 " 
Miss  Longstaffe  slowly  repeats — a  Then  Robert  Kent  is 

dead — or  soon  will  be  —  " 
Her    home-thrust    Mrs.    Townsend   meets — "  l  If    Roger 

Charlton's  manner  tells  the  truth  ! ' : 
But  Miss  Longstaffe  beats  no  retreats — ulf  Mrs.  Town- 
send' s  manner  tells  the  truth." 

—  II- 

The  scene  is  shifted  to  another  room, 
Where  Walton,  Margaret  and  Olney  Kent 
Are  moving  through  the  gloom. 

Pale  Margaret  speaks:— 


36  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

"  And  you  insist  that  this  repentant  woman  is  not  still 
your  wife,  though  in  the  eyes  of  law  you  are  divorced 
from  her  ?  What  constitutes  a  marriage  ?  Verbal 
laws?" 

Walton  sees  a  chance  to  stake  his  claim  : — 

"  Observation  of  the  legal  forms  of  marriage —  " 

But  Margaret  frustrates  his  secret  aim  : — 

"  In  this  day  it's  thought  by  many  that  a  marriage  does 
consist  in  observation  of  the  legal  forms,  while  that 
which  truly  constitutes  the  soul  of  marriage  they  do 
not  regard  as  such." 

Walton  no  longer  views  her  as  his  wife. 
The  Uncle  suddenly  shows  signs  of  life  : — 

"  Then  listen,  Margaret.  In  time  another  man  stole  in 
upon  me  and  obtained  her  love,  and  I  considered  her 
divorced  from  me  the  moment  that  she  gave  it  him; 
and  when  he  ruined  her,  I  held  that  they  were  mar- 
ried, though  no  legal  form  had  been  observed.  For 
if  the  law  would  recognize  such  acts,  alone,  as  valid 
marriages,  there  would  be  much  less  sinning  in  the 
world,  as  it  would  give  the  woman  power  to  bind  the 
man  for  life.  But  now  she  must  bear  all  the  blame 
and  suffering  while  the  man  goes  free." 

Margaret,  with  good  taste,  retires 

And  Walton,  wrapped  in  thought,  enquires — 

"  Is  that  act  what  does  constitute  a  marriage,  then  ?  " 

The  old  man  weighted  down  with  age, 
Rises  in  a  petty  rage: — 

"  It  is  my  idea  of  what  the  law  should  recognize  as  mar- 
riage, and  bind  the  parties  afterward  if  they're  not 
bound  before.  Now  men  can  ruin  women  and  be 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 


37 


thought  respectable  ;  but  I  think  that  the  law  should 
give  that  woman  power  to  make  that  man  bear  his — 
the  greater — share  of  all  the  blame,  and  it  should 
give  the  woman  power  to  use,  at  her  discretion,  every 
right  a  wife  should  have.'7 
Walton's  voice  assumes  a  careless  langour: — 

"  Why  do    n't  our  laws  protect  a  woman's  rights  ?  " 

A  nd  Margaret  enters,  exclaiming  with  anger, 

"  That  question  brings  the  Politician's  nightmare  on  I  " 
-  Ill- 

Into  the  gloom  drifts  William  Pratt' s  garret, 
Where  Pratt  is  seen;  seeming  a  man  to  merit 

A  better  home.     His  sick  child  is  in  bed. 

Charlton  and  Mrs.  Townsend  enter — he  is  by  her  led. 
"  I  tell  you,  William  Pratt,  I'm  tired  of  living  this 
apparently  unmarried  life,  and  being  known  as 
'  Widow  Townsend! '  You  don't  exert  yourself  enough 
to  be  acknowledged  as  my  husband,  and  my  dignity 
and  reputation  are  at  stake  each  time  I  visit  you. 
That  starving  child  will  never  be  acknowledged  as 
my  own,  nor  will  you  ever  have  one  cent  more  from 
my  purse.  Look  at  your  starving  child  !  Now,  if 
you  value  her  life  at  the  price  of  food,  go,  pawn 
that  ring,  and  purchase  what  she  needs.  There  ! 
act  before  you  lose  the  action,  sir. — Exactly  !  as  you 
always  do  !  I'll  tell  you  for  the  last  one-hundreth 
time,  when  you  lack  strength  to  do  a  thing,  accept 
the  strength  which  comes  to  you.  That  impulse, 
taken,  would  have  made  you  strong  ;  but  turned  away 
it  took  its  strength  with  it.  Come  now,  see  here  I 


38  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

You  promised  your  first  wife  never  to  part  with  this — 
her  wedding  ring.  Well  now,  she's  dead.  Now  well, 
she's  dust.  Admitted  :  your  promise  is  to  a  clod  of 
dust.  All  bosh — these  foolish  sentiments  of  keeping 
promises  !  " 

Pratt  shows  himself  to  be  her  better  half — 

"  She  is  not  dead,  or  else  religion  tells  a  lie." 

She  greets  his  answer  with  a  sneering  laugh: — 

"  Her  bones  are  getting  rank,  and  the  loud  smell  begins 
to  rankle,  sir.  But  what  are  you  to  eat?  That's  right! 
get  down  there  on  your  knees  and  order  breakfast ; 
but  'twould  be  well  to  eat  what  meat  you  can  in 
dreams  to-night,  then  if  the  '  Providence  '  to  which 
you  pray  should  fail  to  fill  your  orders,  to-morrow's 
breakfast  l  bill  of  fare '  may  be  :  Cold  Dreams  and 
Mutton  Tallow;  Mashed  Potato  Skins.  Your  dinner 
could  be  :  Cat-tail  Soup.  Your  supper  :  Cat's  Head, 
cold.  Your— " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean,  Sir  William  Pratt,  that  you  will  have  to  cook 
the  cat  or  starve  to  death.  You've  eaten  everything 
you  have  to  eat  except  the  cat ;  you've  spent  your 
every  cent,  and  you  will  never  have  another  one  from 
me  ;  you've  not  a  friend  of  whom  you  could  intend 
to  borrow  and  not  beg — and  you  would  rather  starve 
than  beg.  Your  sickness  and  this  cursed  strike  have 
paralysed  the  hands  which  earned  you  your  support ; 
you  have  refused  to  pawn  your  ring,  and  you  have 
nothing  else  to  pawn  :  you've  lived  for  two  days  now 
without  a  thing  to  eat,  and  on  this  diet  you  will 
surely  starve — Toby  !  come  here.  I'll  gut  you  now, 
and  let  you  parboil  over  night." 


THE   TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS  39 

"  Hold  ! — but  I  cannot  pawn  this  ring." 

"  Cannot  is  not  will  not,  sir  ! " 

li  I  will  not  pawn  this  ring." 

"  Strength  can  be  gained  upon  an  empty  stomach,  sir." 

"  Yes,  my  employer's  strength  was  gained  upon  my  empty 
stomach,  but  he  too  will  suffer  for  the  wrong  as  well 
as  I.  We  poor  men  are  awaking  to  our  rights,  and 
when  our  waking  dreams  are  over  (takes  a  bomb  from 
secret  closet) — we  will  settle  down  to  cold  realities. 
The  cry  of  every  poor  man's  rights  and  wrongs  shall 
then  be  heard.  Though  it  require  a  bomb-shell  for 
a  trumpet,  our  voices  shall  be  heard." 

While  he  replaces  bomb  in  closet, 
Mrs.  Toivnsend  speaks  to  Charlton: — 

"  (I  think  I've  got  him  desperate  enough.     Proceed.)" 

Charlton  from  the  shades  advances: — 

"  Your  name  is  Pratt,  sir,  I  believe." 

Pratt  fires  at  him  suspicious  glances: — 

"  The  same.     And  what  is  yours  ?" 

Charlton  sits  down  in  a  chair: — 

"  You  will  be  pleased  to  know  ;  and  therefore  '  business 
before  pleasure',  sir.  I  understand  that  you  and 
Robert  Kent  are  bitter  enemies  ;  although  I  don't 
know  what  the  trouble  is  !  " 

Pratt  towers  higher  in  the  air: — 

"  I've  sworn  to  kill  him  if  we  ever  meet !  My  life  was 
ruined  through  false  accusations  he  has  made." 

"  Accusing  you  of  what  ?  " 

"  Untrue  relations  with  his  wife." 

"  Then  they  were  false.  This  letter  states  my  business 
with  you." 


40  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

"  Your  business  is  mysterious,  and  I  can't  see  to  solve  it 
by  this  candlelight." 

"  This  is  a  useful  ornament." 

"  The  lamp  is  empty,  lad,  and  we  have  no  oil  in  the 
house." 

u  Well,  surely  you  have  gas  ! " 

u  Gas  !  There  is  no  gas  in  the  house." 

u  My  sense  of  smell  deceives  me  then.  I  am  acquainted 
with  your  wife.  (To  Mrs.  Townsend.)  Will  you  take 
my  pocketbook  and  purchase  comforts  for  that 
shivering  child  ?  I  shall  expect  you  back  immedi- 
ately. Go." 

Pratt  looks  a  moment  at  his  first  ivifes  ring, 

And  tighter  to  it  he  is  seen  to  cling: — 

"One  moment.  Sir,  I  wish  to  ask  you  while  you're  in 
the  mood,  with  my  right  hand  your  sole  security, 
will  you  lend  me  enough  to  pay  my  room  rent,  which 
is  two  months  overdue  ?  I  am  afraid  my  child  and 
I  will  be  turned  out  into  the  street  if  it  is  not  paid 
soon." 

"  I  will  attend  to  it  before  I  go  away,  but  in  the  mean- 
time, I  wish  you  to  read  that  letter,  sir." 

"  Then  I  must  find  some  place  where  it  is  light  enough, 
for  this  is  my  last  candle,  and  it  even  now  is  sputter- 
ing in  the  stick." 

Charlton  asks  of  Mrs.  T , 

"  He  is  a  man  of  honor,  is  he  not  ?  " 

And  she  answers  sneeringly : — 
"  Humph  !  he  is  a  man  of  sentiment." 
"  Enough  !  I   trust  him  then.     Go,  read  it  where  you 
will." 


THE    TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS  41 

Pratt  exists.     Mrs.  T decides, — 

u  And  I  will  go  and  get  the  comforters." 

.Behind  a  chimney  in  the  gloom  she  hides. 
The  candle  gives  one  sputter  in  the  stick, 
And  burns  no  more ;  having  consumed  its  wick. 

"  You  poor  old  starving  cat !  Is  it  a  pleasure  to  sit  there 
and  mew  at  me  ?  ( Charlton  picks  it  up.)  Poor  thing, 
you  must  be  starving  here.  It  might  be  kindness  if 
I  killed  you  now  !  But  it  is  said  that  every  life  has 
some  especial  use  in  Providence,  and  I  should  feel 
that  it  was  wrong  to  take  your  life  unless  I  knew  you 
had  been  useful.  With  that  knowledge  I  could  kill 
you  conscientiously." 

Mrs.  T ,  with  a  decided  mind, 

Steps  from  the  chimney  she  has  hid  behind: — 

"  Sorry  to  trouble  you.     I'll  not  be  back  again." 

"  It's  no  intrusion.     Don't  apologize." 

"  Apologize  !  Intrusion  !  Well,  who  thought  it  such  ?" 

u  I  thought  that  you  thought  that  I  thought  that  you 
thought  you  were  intruding." 

u  No  sir.*  I  merely  came  to  say  that  I  shall  never  come 
again  to  live  with  William  Pratt,  and  I  resign  all 
partnership  connecting  me  with  the  impending  crime 
of  murdering  Robert  Kent." 

"  You  kindly  volunteered  assistance,  and  I  thank  you  for 
what  you  have  done.  I  shall  proceed  to  carry  out 
your  part  myself." 

"  Miss  Longstaffe  knows  that  we  are  both  together  in  the 
scheme." 

"  I  told  her  my  intentions  :  you  were  not  then  in  my 
thoughts." 


42  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

"  She  found  me  out  herself.  But  do  you  still  persist  in 
saying  you  will  never  marry  Margaret  when  she  is 
free  ?  " 

"  A  fool  could  answer  that  as  well  as  I." 
"  Remember  this  :  if  ever  you  seek  such  a  thing,  I'll  let 

her  know  who  murdered  Robert  Kent." 
"  And  if  you  hold  your  tongue  till  then  she'll  never  know. 
(Mrs.  Townsend  starting  to  go  out,  Charlton  quickly 
wheels  himself  about.)  You  are  the  first  woman  I 
have  ever  failed  to  trust !  — Please  give. me  back  my 
purse  before  you  go." 

"  I  think  I  must  have  dropped  it  down  below  !  " 
"  If  this  is  an  equivalent,  I  wish  to  trade  it  for  the  purse." 
"  And  what  is  the  equivalent  you  wish  to  give  ?" 
"  I'll  give  a  pound  of  flesh  from,  either  arm  if  you  will 

give  me  back  my  pocketbook." 
"  What  nonsense  !  " 
"  I  will  do  it." 

"  I  would  like  to  see  you  do  it. — Here's  the  purse." 
"  Then  you  shall  see  me  do  it.     (lights  a  match,  with — ) 
Here's  the  cat." 

Mrs.  Townsend,  in  chagrin. 
Shows  her  skull  ivas  not  too  thin: — 

"  The  purse  is  empty,  sir." 

Charlton  quickly  opens  it, 
While  a  match  spark  still  is  lit: — 

"  The  lining  holds  ten  thousand  dollars  on  a  check  ! 
— My  God  !  what  apparition's  that  ?  " 

Child  advances  in  night-robe,  with — 

"  Nellie  !  Nellie  !  !  Nellie  !  ! !  " 

Falls  in  Charlton  s  arms; — he  stnkes  another  match. 
The  liyht  reveals  the  features  of  the  child, 
Who  with  Death's  ayony  is  nearly  wild: — 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  43 

"  And  is  this  Death  ?  We  men  call  Death  a  sleep,  and 
in  one  moment  more  I'll  close  these  lids  for  their 
eternal  slumber,  but  the  soul — 0  God  !  — release  it — 
do  not  let  it  struggle  so !  'Tis  gone  —  poor  body, 
sleep. — Ah,  Mrs.  Townsend,  think  of  Robert  Kent ! 
Well  might  he  envy  such  a  death  as  this.  The  child's 
last  earthly  vision  was  her  heavenly  —  ?  " 

u  Sister's  ! " 

" — face.  I  wish  that  Kent's  last  earthly  vision  could 
be  Margaret's.  That  she  would  kneel  before  him  with 
her  face  as  I  have  sometimes  seen  ;  as  though  damp 
chills  were  freezing  in  her  back,  while  in  her  breast 
burned  such  dry  fever  that  her  heart,  between  the 
two,  seemed  twisted  out  of  joint.  At  such  times  would 
the  tender  fibres  of  her  face  be  drawn  so  tightly  that 
it  seemed  as  though  the  flesh  would  crack,  and  he, 
the  demon  who  could  draw  them  so,  smiled  on, 
unmindful  of  the  harsh  contortions  which  his  smiling 
made.  I  say,  it  would  be  well  if  his  last  sight  of 
earth  could  be  this  ghastly  congregation  of  its 
elements — the  face  of  Margaret  by  his  spirit  breathed 
upon  ;  for  if  he  strolled  into  Eternity  from  such  a 
sight  as  this,  his  soul  might  soften  till  he  realized  he 
was  in  Hell.  But  having  been  so  long  there  while  on 
earth,  if  now  the  earth  is  merely  drawn  away,  I  fear 
the  change  will  be  so  slight,  he  will  not  notice  it." 

(Charlton  rises,  dropping  the  dead  child 
Unconsciously.     Mrs.  Townsend' s  voice  is  mild — ) 

u  And  is  it  possible  you  will  not  want  his  wife  when  he 
is  dead  ?  " 

A II  his  vigor  seems  to  die 
As  he  makes  the  sad  reply: — 


44  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

"  As  I  have  always  said  :  when  Robert  Kent  is  dead,  I 
shall  leave  Margaret,  and,  if  possible,  evade  the  law, 
simply  because  I  do  not  wish  that  she  should  ever 
know  how  his  death  came  to  him.  She  must  be  led 
to  think  it  was  a  natural  one.  Until  you  told  me  of 
the  enmity  'tween  Pratt  and  Robert  Kent,  I  thought 
that  /  would  go  to  South  America,  but  now,  if  Pratt 
will  go,  I  think  that  not  one  detail  of  the  scheme 
could  be  much  better  planned  for  gaining  Margaret's 
future  happiness,  and  if  Pratt,  voluntarily,  will  fight 
the  duel  to  which  you  say  Kent  once  challenged  him, 
I  see  no  reason  why  his  difficulty  should  not  settle 
Margaret's  as  well." 

a  But  you  love  Margaret,  do  you  not?  " 

She  notes  his  vtice  with  melancholy  fill: — 

"  I  have  not  yet  decided  what  constitutes  true  love  of 
sex  for  sex." 

Young  Charlton  pauses, — and  the  world  seems  still. 
*  *  *  *  * 

Pratt  entering  like  a  drunken  man, 
In  darkness  on  the  dead  child  ran, 
But  stumbled  on, — apparently 
Not  thinking  what  the  form  might  be: — 

"  I  have  been  trying  to  decide.  The  more  I  think  of  it, 
the  less  I  think  of  it." 

Cltarlton  offers  him  a  chair: — 

"  You   know  the  stipulated  sum  for  proof  that  Robert 
Kent  has  died,  and  if  you  wish  to  fight  the  duel  to 
which  he  once  challenged  you,  we'll  sign  these  papers, 
and — it  rests  with  you." 
Pratt's  wrongs  seem  more  than  he  can  bear: — 

"  I  am  a  desperate  man,  and  I  could  do  a  desperate 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  45 

thing,  but  I  cannot  desert  my  wife  and  child,  as  I 
should  have  to  do  in  case  I  went  to  South  America." 
Charlton  forces  him  to  sit: — 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  seem  cold-blooded,  yet  I  am  by  nature 
blunt  when  telling  an  unpleasant  truth.  Your  wife, 
sir,  has  deserted  you  :  your  child —  " 

Pratt  jumps  as  if  he  had  been  hit: — 

41  My  wife  deserted  me!     O  God  be —  " 

"  We  have   110   time  for   sentiment.     Be    reconciled   as 

quickly  as  you  can." 
"  0  God  be  thanked.     I'm  reconciled." 
"  You've  my  congratulations.     But  your  child —  " 
"Don't  say  it,  lad!" 
"What?" 
"  That  she  has  taken  her  away!  " 

Again  he  offers  Pratt  a  chair: — 

"  No,  she  has  not." 

Pratt  sinks  into  it  with  despair: — 

"  I'm  on  this  earth  only  because  my  child  is  here,  for 
without  her  I  should  not  care  to  live,  and  /  ivould 
suicide  if  she  should  die." 

He  rises,  starting  toward  the  bed. 
Charlton  grasps  him  near  the  head : — 

"  Here!  here!  No  time  for  kisses  now.  '  Business  before — '" 

Pratt  sits  again: — 

"  I  have  been  very  sick,  and  can  earn  nothing  yet  at 
work.  Shall  I  sit  feebly  by  and  day  by  day  see  my 
child  starve,  when  now  to  do  this  thing  would  give 
her  everything  she  needs  for  years  to  come?  But  if 
I  go  away,  who  will  take  care  of  her?  " 

"  I.  (Charlton  glances  behind  him.)  She  will  not  want 
for  anything." 


46  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

Mrs.  T is  weeping  with  a  vim. 

"  What  noise  is  that  ?  " 

"  A  storm  is  coming  on.     It  is  the  wailing  of  the  wind." 

Pratt  asks  the  young  solicitor  : — 

"  How  will  I  know  that  I  can  trust  you,  sir  ?" 

And  Charlton  makes  this  his  reply  : — 

"  By  this  check  for  ten  thousand  dollars,  which  will  be 
paid  to-night,  if  you  agree  to  furnish  satisfactory 
proof  that  Robert  Kent  no  longer  lives  upon  this 
earth.  Knowing  you  had  a  wife  and  child,  and  likely 
some  pet  creatures  which  might  require  my  care,  I've 
put  this  promise  in  these  papers,  thinking  it  would 
cover  everything  : — c  To  whatever  living  thing  which 
you  now  have,  I  will  give  everything  which  love  can 
give  till  you  return.'  And  so  to  prove  my  own  good 
faith,  I  will  now  pay  to  you  the  stipulated  sum,  and 
you,  to  prove  your  own,  must  leave  the  child  with  me 
until  delivery  of  the  proof  to  one  whom  I  have 
herein  named." 

Mrs.  Townsend  is  still  wailing 
Over  her  dead  child;  no  failing 
In  a  wvman  once  a  mother, 
Can  all  love  for  her  child  smother. 

11  For  my  child's  sake,  I'll  do  it,  sir." 

"  Then  as  'tis  herein  written,  if  I  pay  ten  thousand 
dollars,  you  relinquish  every  claim  on  every  living 
thing  which  you  now  have,  and  give  me  sole  posses- 
sion from  this  hour  until  you  have  delivered  to  a 
party  herein  named  the  satisfactory  proof  that  Robert 
Kent  no  longer  lives  upon  this  earth  :  Understanding, 
that  for  the  proof  which  you  deliver,  I  will  return 
whatever  this  agreement  places  in  my  care,  which  in 


&rknn  y    -^ 

OF  THE 

T  TVER  SIT  Y 

THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS       \  47 

%^ 

the  meantime  will  receive  more  than  your  love  could 
give  if  you  remained  at  home.     Is  it  a  bargain  ?  " 

Still  that  piteous  wail  is  heard  ; 
Making  hollow  Pratt* *  stern  word, — 

"  For  my  child's  sake,  I'll  do  it,  sir." 

"  Then  go  and  get  a  light,  that  we  may  sign  these  papers 
now.  (Charlton,  stumbling  'gainst  the  child,  turns  with 
every  action  wild.)  No,  never  mind,  I've  two  wax 
matches  here." 

"  You  can't  write  much  by  just  two  matches,  sir." 

"  We  need  write  nothing  but  our  names.  Already  every- 
thing is  written  in  the  terms  which  we  have  made. 
(lights  a  match.)  This  paper  is  in  duplicate.  Please 
read  it  while  the  first  match  burns." 

He  glances  at  the  dead  child's  form, 

And  motions  to  a  calm  the  storm. 

Pratt  reads:—  His  sight  begins  to  blur: — 

"  For  my  child's  sake  I'll  do  it,  sir." 

And  with  a  flash  the  match  goes  out, 
The  instant  Pratt  has  turned  about. 

"  Here  is  a  fountain  pen.     Please  sign  your  name  while 

this,  the  last  match,  burns. — Where  are  you  going, 

sir  ?  " 
"  I  have  not  strength  to  sign  it  till  I  see  her  pleading 

face  I  " 
"  No  time  for  sentiment.     No  light  for  seeing  faces  now. 

Sit  down  and  take  the  pen  before  I  light  this  match, 

which  is  the  last — the  only  one  I  have." 

Lights  it. — Pratt  signs,  and  tries  to  start 
Toward  the  bed. — Charltons  hands  part: — 

u  One  moment,  sir  !  I  said  you  would  be  pleased  to  know 
my  name." 


48  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

A  nd  Charlton  signs  his  signature. 

"  What !    Roger  Charlton  !    my  employer's  son?  " 

"  The  same." 

u  I  am  not  pleased  to  know  you,  lad." 

"  If  you  betray  me  now,  this  paper  shows  you  a  co-part- 
ner in  the  plot." 

"  That  need  not  have  been  said.    I  am  no  traitor,  sir." 

u  The  steamer  sails  for  South  America  at  four  o'  clock 
to-morrow  afternoon.  By  that  time  you  must  cash 
this  check,  take  out  what  money  you  will  need, 
deposit  the  remainder  as  you  wish,  purchase  your 
passage  and  what  clothes  you  want,  and  take  the 
boat  for  South  America.  Enclosed  in  this  you'll  find 
instructions  for  locating  Robert  Kent.  Now — string 
your  wits  on  threads  of  wisdom,  and — begone." 

"  Where  ?  " 

"  'Most  anywhere,  's  long  's  you  take  the  boat  to-morrow 
afternoon." 

"  What !    Would  you  turn  me  out  of  my  own  home  ?  " 

"  This  home  is  not  your  own.  My  father,  your 
employer,  was  the  owner  of  these  flats.  He  has  just 
died  and  left  the  property  to  me.  You  are  two 
months  behind,  sir,  in  your  rent,  and  I  must  ask 
you  to  vacate  at  once." 

"  Why  turn  me  out  into  the  storm  for  just  one  night  ?  " 

"  Ten  thousand  dollars  ought  to  warm  you  just  one  night." 

"  This  check,  sir,  is  not  worth  one  cent  to  me  until  it's 
cashed." 

4 'Why,  my  dear  friend,  I  hadn't  thought  of  that! — 
Here  take — Oh,  I  forgot!  My  purse  is  empty.  Phew! 
what  shall  I  do?  " 

u  Let  me  stay  here  to-night  and  I  won't  need  a  cent." 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  49 

"  One  moment!  0  God — (Extends  his  arms  toward  Mrs. 

T ,  whom,  in  the  dark,  Pratt  fails  to  see. — )  Five 

dollars!— Thank  you.  Take  it.  Go." 

"  What!  does  God  hire  you  to  do  this  crime?  " 

"  I  settle  the  account  with  Him." 

"  — But  why  are  you  so  anxious  I  should  leave  this  room 
to-night  ? 

u  I've  just  assumed  my  father's  business,  and  I'm 
resolved  to  run  the  thing  on  strictly  business  prin- 
ciples. This  is  the  first  day  of  another  month,  your 
rent  remains  unpaid,  and  you  must  go.  I  never 
break  a  rule  in  business." 

"  Then  I  will  bid  my  child  a  long  good-bye,  and  go." 

"  Please  go  without.     She  must  not  be  disturbed." 

"  And  why  not  wake  her,  lad?" 

u  Would  you  recall  her  to  this  earth  and  all  its  sufferings, 
when  now  she  seems  so  peaceful  in  her  sleep?" 

Pratt  calms  himself,  and  meekly  makes  reply: — 

';I  know  the  agony  of  her  pains,  and  when  awake  she 
suffers  terribly.  I'll  kiss  her  only  once,  and  then 
I'll  go." 

But  Charlton  stands,  and  ivill  not  let  him  by: — 

u  Is  your  parental  love  a  sensual  one?" 

u  It  will  be  done  so  softly  that — " 

"  You  must  not  kiss  that  child!  " 

"  /  must  not  kiss  my  child!     What  right  have  you  to  tell 

me  that?  " 
"  The  right  that  you  have  given  in  this  paper.     Sir,  it 

reads,  that  you  relinquish  every  claim,  and  give  me 

sole  possession  from  this  hour — " 
"  This  hour  has  not  yet  ended!  " 
"  Hark! — the  clock  is  striking,  sir." 


50  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

Pratt  leaves,  without  another  ivord, 

And  from  the  darkness  Charltons  voice  is  heard: — 

"  Now  Mrs.  Townsend,  I  can  almost  call  the  murder  done, 
but  it  has  seemed  as  though  the  heavens  were  against 
my  scheme.  A  man  must  feel  himself  almost  a  God, 
before  he  takes  a  human  life  into  his  hand  and  moulds 
its  destiny  to  suit  his  own  designs.  Yet  so  have  I 
now  done  with  Robert  Kent.  I've  placed  myself 
before  my  God  :  have  deemed  my  judgment  equal 
to  His  own,  and  have  despatched  the  soul  of  Kent  to 
Hell  before  its  Maker's  proper  summons  came.  It 

must  not  be.     0  Pratt,  come  .     No.     I  will 

not  let  the  frenzy  of  a  moment  undermine  the  calm 
deliberation  of  a  month.  I'll  play  between  Creator 
and  created  :  the  human  tool  of  Divine  Providence. 
Through  Gladys'  letter  I'll  give  God  a  chance  to 
thwart  my  scheme.  But  I  have  firmly  put  my  hand 
upon  the  plough,  and  there  will  be  no  vacillation  now." 

Again  Pratt  staggers  through  the  door. 

"  What  are  you  back  for  ?  " 

And  Charlton  drays  the  child  across  the  floor: — 

ic  Anything  forgotten,  Pratt  ?" 

"  No,  —  nothing.  But  a  thought  passed  over  me  which 
made  me  sicken  till  I  staggered  to  the  ground. 
Perhaps  it  was  a  foolish  thought — but,  lad,  upon  your 
honor,  —  yes  or  no,  is  my  child  dead  ?  " 

Charlton  meets  him  with  uplifted  head 
And  shoulders  back: — 
u  No  sir,  she  is  not  dead." 

Pratt  exits. 
Charltons  nervous  strain  is  past.     His  muscles  slack: — 

il  Have  I,  or  has  Religion  told  a  lie  ?  " 


ACT   II 

Time  brings  before  our  eyes  a  different  scene. 
Eh  Janeiro  lies,  with  glittering  sheen, 
Far  in  the  night's  background :  One  house  is  near. 
A  man  and  woman  presently  appear:— 

. "  Florence,  I  have  decided  we  must  leave  Rio  Janeiro, 
and  I'm  so  grieved  about  two  things,  that  I  can't 
tell  for  which  I  grieve  the  most.  I'm  sorry  I  can't 
pay  the  mortgage  interest  on  our  home,  and  that  the 
whole  affair  will  have  to  be  foreclosed;  and  yet  this 
weighs  but  lightly  on  my  mind  when  I  think  you  are 
called  upon  to  bear  the  crushing  disappointment  too. 
Of  course,  the  heaviest  must  naturally  fall  on  me, 
but  as  just  said,  I  have  the  added  weight  of  thinking 
you  are  groaning  'neath  the  burden  just  as  much  as 
I,  who  suffer  terribly,  but  please  don't  let  my  suffer- 
ing make  you  suffer,  dear;  for  mine  is  mainly  caused 
by  thinking  of  your  suffering  for  me.  So,  dearest 
heart,  be  happy  in  the  happiness  of  thinking  I  am 
happy  by  your  happiness.  Now  leave  me  with  my 
thoughts,  for  when  my  eye  of  sense  is  blinded  by 
the  night,  I  can  see  clearer  mentally,  and  may  dis- 
cover some  way  out  of  our  entanglement. — Are  you 
not  going,  dear? — Please  do  not  cling  to  me  like  this! 
I  wish  to  be  alone. — Good-night,  my  darling! — Now, 
dear,  this  kiss  must  be  our  last. — Please,  Florence,  I 
wish  you  would  leave! — I  must  use  force  if  you  refuse 

(51) 


52  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

to  go. — See  now  what  you  have  done!  you've  wrung 
your  hand  in  mine  so  much  that  you  have  worked 
your  wedding  ring  from  off  your  finger,  and  it's  fallen 
on  the  ground. — No,  no,  don't  poke  around  for  it 
there  in  the  sand.  You'll  only  bury  it.  Just  step 
aside  and  wait  till  daylight  comes.  Now  you  must 
leave.  Again,  Good-night!" 

The  woman  leaves,  and  he  calls  after  her, — 

"  I  will  be  with  you,  dear,  in  half  an  hour,  at  least." 

And  then  he  adds, — 
"  I  said  '  in  half  an  hour  at  least ' }  now  I  will  add  l  but 

never  at  the  most.'    Show  me  a  woman  whom  I  cannot 

dupe !  " 

A  woman  enters  at  the  closing  word: — 

"  I'll  show  you  one  !  " 

He.  starts,  and  turns  to  see  what  he  has  heard : 

"  Well,  woman,  you  are  punctual  !  Now  prove  that  you 
are  not  insane  to  make  in  writing  an  appointment  at 
this  time  of  night  in  such  a  place  as  this." 

"  Sir,  I  wish  you  to  know  that  I  am  Mrs.  Town  send  of 
New  York." 

"  Ah  ha  !  —  then  you  are  not  insane." 

"  That  follows." 

u  Certainly:  because  you  never  yet  were  what  you  seemed 
to  be." 

"  What  seems  my  reason  for  now  being  here  ?  " 

"That  Margaret  sent  you  as  a  spy." 

"You  will  not  be  deceived  in  that." 

u  I'm  not  so  sure  of  it." 

"  You  will  believe  me,  though." 

"  Not  while  I  can  surmise." 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  53 

"  Belief  in  me  will  be  your  *  saving  faith. ' ': 

"  Believing  in  the  devil  saves  no  man." 

u  Believe  my  words  :  There  rise  the  gallows,  sir." 

She  points  into  an  open  well  near  by. 

ffe  staggers  back,  making  the  quick  reply: — 

11  To  know  of  it  you  must  have  seen  it  done  !  " 

She  comes  up  to  him  with  extended  hand: — 
"  One-half  the  plunder  will  forever  seal  my  lips." 

He  sums  what  dignity  he  can  command: — 

"  I  don't  believe  your  promise  would  be  kept." 

With  which  she  snaps  her  fingers  in  his  face: — 

"  Then  you  will  lose  your  life  through  unbelief." 

A  ml  he  replies  as  he  retires  a  pace: — 
u  No  madam,  I  do  not  believe  I  will." 

She  has  but  one  condition  in  her  threat: — 

'•  Unless  you  have  a  ;  saving  faith '  in  me." 

But  he  will  not  accept  salvation  yet: — 

k'  IJ]1  think  it  over  ;  in  the  meantime,  you  keep  cool.  I'm 
going  back  to  Margaret,  if  I  can  get  the  where-with- 
all  to  take  me  there  with  all  my  strategems.  Here's 
the  result  of  my  last  one — conceived  while  it  was 
executed.  Poor  Florence  !  It's  our  wedding  ring. — 
How  odd  that  sounds !  Why,  it  should  be  'our  wedding 
rings}  (Takes  off  his  own.)  '  Our  wedding  rings  !  ' 
(Jingles  them.)  That  does  sound  better  !  These  two 
will  sell  for  old  gold  now,  and  buy  some  trinket  to 
present  to  Margaret.  Yet  Gladys  was  the  one  who 
sent  the  invitation  to  come  home.  I  wonder  if  I  must 
present  it  at  the  door  'fore  Margaret  will  let  me  in  ! 
And  by  the  way  !  It  might  look  better  if  I  had  our 
wedding  ring  upon  my  finger  when  I  knocked.  I've 
worn  it  on  my  middle  toe.  I'm  superstitious  about 


54  THE   TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS 

wedding  rings  !  (takes  off  his  shoe.)  I  wonder  if  she 
loves  me  yet  !  Oh  well,  no  use  in  speculating  over 
that.  She'll  have  a  chance  to  prove  it  if  she  does. — 
Here  is  the  ring  upon  the  other  toe  that  Margaret 
gave  when  Gladys  came.  The  wedding  ring  was  on 
my  finger  when  she  put  this  after  it  and  said — 
'  Robert,  let  this  one  guard  your  wedding  ring.7 
Come  !  come  !  no  more  of  this  !  I'll  get  my  shoe  and 
stocking  on,  and  then, — No  madam,  I  cannot  believe 
in  you." 

Again  she  makes  her  proposition  full: — 

"  Give  me  one-half  the  spoils  which  you  have  hidden  in 
this  well  and  I  will  not  reveal  your  crime  to  anyone. 
If  you  refuse,  I'll  see  that  you  are  hung  till  dead." 

He  lights  a  lantern  : — gives  his  nose  a  pull: — 
"  A  court  trial's  better  than  a  lynching  mob  !  " 

She  mocks  the  sanctimonious  pnest: — 

"  '  Believe,  and  you  are  saved.' " 
"  '  Forgive,  and  I  do  believe  !  '  " 

The  imitated  prodigal  then  ceased 
To  be  upon  the  earth — descending  in  it. 
She,  like  the  priest,  has  inspired  in  a  minute, 
An  ignorant  belief  'gainst  what  is  known: — 

"  Salvation  will  not  come  by  faith  alone." 

Unlike  the  priest,  she  speaks  out  her  true  thought, 
Regarding  the  belief  which  has  been  taught. 
A  man  steps  slowly  from  behind  a  tree, 
And  Mrs.  Townsend  beckons, —  "  Come  to  me." 

u  Tell  me,  Sir  William  Pratt,  having  now  run  a  skunk 
into  a  well,  how  can  I  kill  him  best  ?  " 

Pratt  slowly  turns  around— she  hears  him  say — 
"  By  burying  him."  —  and  moves  without  delay. 


THE   TRAGEDY   OF   ERRORS  55 

Up  to  a  stone  which  poises  on  the  brink, 
And  ere  slow  Pratt  again  has  time  to  think. 
Rolls  it  into  the  well.     They  both  peer  down, 
And  she  takes  hold  of  Pratt 's  head  by  the  crown: — 

"  See  him  there  in  the  mud  !  The  stone's  on  top  of  him* 
There's  not  a  sound  arising. — Robert  Kent  is  dead." 

But  mad  Pratt,  peering  down  the  well. 
Seems  gazing  at  the  sights  of  Hell: — 

"  Look  !  look  !  his  spirit's  coming  up  !  " 

"  It's  but  the  flickering  of  his  lantern  on  the  wall." 

"  Do  you  see  any  blood  upon  my  hands  ?  " 

"  Your  mind  is  wandering  !  " 

Pratt  claps  his  hand  across  his  eyes, 
And  with  an  effort  starts  to  rise: — 

"  Had  you  not  led  me  to  believe  that  this  man  was  his 
uncle,  after  whom  it  now  appears  this  man  was 
merely  named,  I  never  would  have  pledged  myself 
to  do  this  sickening  crime.  You  well  know  how  the 
other  Robert  Kent,  excited  by  your  always  lying 
tongue,  accused  me  falsely  of  your  ruin  and  disgrace. 
That  accusation,  in  which  he  persisted  with  a  stub- 
bornness which  fed  upon  your  lies,  has  wrecked  my 
entire  life,  and  had  this  Robert  Kent  been  him,  as 
till  the  other  night  you  led  me  to  believe,  I  would 
have  fought  the  challenged  duel  with  no  conscientious 
pangs — but  when  I  learned  that  this  was  not  that 
Robert  Kent,  I  couldn't  take  his  life  and  drink  his 
blood." 

Mrs.  Townsend  goes  to  him: — 
"  Then  as  I've  done  it,  give  me  my  reward." 

Pratt  asks  again,  with  added  vim: — 

"  Do  you  see  any  blood  upon  my  hands  ?  " 


56  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

Her  mind  is  bent  on  but  one  thing: — 

u  Will  you  give  me  my  reward  for  killing  him  ?  " 

Not  yet  has  reason  taken  wing: — 

"  When  you  have  given  proof  that  he  is  dead." 
"  His  name  is  tattooed  on  his  hand." 
"  The  proof  is  handy,  then." 
"  And  will  the  hand  be  proof  enough  ?  " 

She  asks,  preparing  to  descend. 

Toward  Heaven  Pratt* s  lean  arms  extend: — 

"  His  hand  and  head — Ya -a-a-a-a  — Kill  me  !  I  am 
going  mad." 

Mrs.  T at  once  comes  back: — 

u  I'll  kill  you  if  you'll  give  me  my  reward." 

She  slaps  his  face  a  sounding  whack: — 

"  Come,  are  you  going  mad  ?     The  love  for  which  you 
plunged  into  this  crime   should  help  you  out  of  it." 
The  breezes  of  each  blow  upon  him  seem 
To  fan  his  sickly  Reason's  flickering  gleam: — 

u  'For  my  child's  sake,  I'll  -kill  him,  sir.'     Oh,  love  did 
oil  those  words  so  well,  that  when  I  tried  to  say, '  this 
crime  is  wrong,'  I  said  l  'tis  right,'  for  I  felt  something 
would  be  righted  by  the  wrong,  yet  knew  that  it  was 
wrong  to  make  it  right." 
"  Come,  stop  your  idiotic  talk  ! " 
"  Had   calm    deliberation    held    my   hand,   until  tired 

Reason  muttered  ( let  it  go  —  ' ' 
"  Impulsive  strength  would  be  unknown  to  you." 
"  I've  found  it  but  a  mental  squall  of  wind." 
u  But  it  has  fanned  your  sickly  nature  into  life." 
Impulsive  strength  becomes  her  as  a  wife; 
Again  she  fans  his  nature  into  life, 
Sounding  as  if  she  his  face  had  kissed; — 
But  ivhen  acjain  she  slaps,  the  face  is  missed. 
Pratt  answers,  with  his  actions  far  less  wild:— 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  57 

"  If  only  I  can  once  more  have  my  child,  we'll  both  die 
honored  by  that  nature's  honest  death,  before  we 
thrive  on  Kent's  dishonest  blood." 

Mrs.  Townsend  grasps  him  by  the  beard:— 

"  Then  I  should  have  the  money  Charlton  gave.  Sir 
William  Pratt,  your  child  was  dead  when  that  con- 
tract wras  signed." 

Stern  Pratt  does  not  believe — 'twas  what  she  feared: — 
"  My  child  was  dead  when  that  contract  was  signed  ! 
You  lie.     The  proof !  the  proof  will  get  me  back  my 
child.     I'll  give  you  all  the  money  when  you  give 
the  proof." 

She  knowing  well  his  stubbornness, 

Knows  that  he  knoivs  she  is  truthless, 

And  down  the  wdl  starts  to  descend. 

Pratt  shoivs  on  what  his  doubts  depend: — 

"  I  asked  Charlton  if  she  was  dead,  he  answered,  '  No.J ' 

To  which  the  woman  adds — descending: — 
"  And  asked  if  he,  or  Christ's  religion,  told  a  lie." 

This  puts  all  Pratt1  s  doubts  at  an  ending. 
Weakly  sinking  to  the  ground, 

'  He  gazes  vacantly  around: — • 

"  There  is  no  power  in  Heaven  or  Hell  but  love,  and  I 
must  love  myself  enough  to  be  avenged,  or  die  where 
I  now  am.  It  is  a  power  from  Hell,  but  it  must 
strengthen,  (rises)  No  !  it's  but  an  impulse  and  a 
madness.  I'll  not  trust  to  it.  (sinks — rises.)  But  I 
have  promised  Roger  Charlton  that  my  part  of  this 
contract  would  be  fulfilled,  and  I  will  never  break  a 
promise  I  have  made.  Sure,  honor  is  a  love  of  self 
which  Heaven  must  permit." 


,58  THE   TRAGEDY   OF   ERRORS 

Florence  enters,  seeking  for  the  man 

She  left  behind.     Pratt  madly  tries  to  scan 

Her  face;  and  in  the  pale  moonlight, 

Shows  that,  at  last,  fteason  has  taken  flight: — 

u  Pray  who  are  you,  my  lovely  maid  ?  " 

"  I  am  the  wife  of  Robert  Kent." 

u  Will  you  be  mine  when  he  is  dead  ?  " 

"  I  am,  till  death  his  wife." 

"  Well  said  !  My  wife — once  Mrs.  Kent — said  it,  not 
knowing  what  it  meant.  A  friend  heard  her  pretty 
name,  though  she  was  a  handsome  dame — loved  and 
plunged  her  into  shame.  Does  my  love  for  you  seem 
tame  ?  It's  because  I  fear  the  same. — Well,  suppose 
your  husband  came  ?  Would  apologies  be  lame  ? — 
Come  and  kiss  me,  lovely  dame." 

Florence  runs  away  from  him, 

While  from  the  Well's  ragged  rim, 

Seeming  from  another  world, 

Come  the  words,  Jrom  its  depths  hurled: — 

"  Pull  up  the  bucket  hanging  down  the  well." 

Mad  Pratt  absently  obeys, 
While  his  thoughts  his  actions  craze: — 

"  The  woman  says  she  is  his  wife.  It  is  a  fancy  !  — Why 
is  she  his  wife  ?  Because  she  has  a  passion  for  the 
man.  I'll  make  her  have  a  passion  now  for  me  : 
and  then  she  will  be  my  wife  if  she  takes  a  fancy  to 
the  thought  ;  and  we'll  be  married — married — why, 
what  does  that  mean  ?  Come  back,  my  head,  and 
sit  here  on  my  shoulders  while  I  think  !  — What,  this 
is  not  my  head. — It  is  the  head  of  Robert  Kent !  — 
That  lovely  women  has  remained  until  his  death,  the 
wife  of  Robert  Kent.  My  wife  intended  to,  but  she 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  59 

did  not.  No,  she  did  not  remain  his  wife,  but  let  us 
see  what  power  it  was  that  bound  the  other  wife  of 
Robert  Kent  to  him  till  death." 

Pratt  follows  Florence,  with  the  head  and  hand; 

The  moon  is  blackened — darkness  Jills  the  land. 


—  II  — 

The  night  scene  shifts  to  Uncle  Olneysfarm, 
After  an  evening  party ;  when  the  charm 
Of  Japanese  lanterns  has  nearly  gone, 
And  left  only  the  moonlight  on  the  lawn. 
Margaret  and  Dr.   Walton  enter: — 

'  Are  we  alone  at  last  ?  " 

He  sweetly  tries  to  take  her  hand; 
But  she  refuses  his  demand: 

'  Were  we  alone  at  first  ?  " 

'  When  we  were  bending  over  Uncle  in  your  parlor,  do 
you  mean  ?  When  Miss  Longstaffe  was  in  a  room 
adjoining  by  an  open  door  ?  When  Mrs.  Townsend 
was  behind  us  in  the  room  which  we  were  in  ?  And 
•  when  your  Uncle,  absent  through  unsconsciousness, 
at  any  instant  might  revive  and  be  with  us  ? — Well 
I  suppose  that  we  are  now  no  more  alone.  Yet  then 
we  were  in  social  solitude." 

1  How  could  that  be  ?  " 

'  You  were  alone  in  wishing  to  revive  my  Uncle.  I  was 
alone  in  wishing,  for  a  moment,  he  would  not  revive. 
Yet  neither  of  us  were  alone  ;  for  bending  toward  his 
lips  in  eagerness  to  catch  that  word,  our  hot  cheeks 
touched,  and  we  each  felt  the  other  one  was  there. 
Do  not  deny  it ;  for  I  felt  the  warm  blood  flush  into 


60  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

your  cheek.  My  own  head  swam,  but  yours  seemed 
trained  for  such  emergencies.  And  let  me  now  con- 
gratulate you  on  that  little  strategem — the  tone  of 
voice  in  which  you  wailed  those  words, i  I  am  descend- 
ing into  Hell!'  'Twas  such  a  perfect  imitation  of 
the  way  his  wife  perhaps  wailed  them,  that  they 
recalled  his  absent  spirit  far  more  quickly  than  I 
could  have  done  with  stimulants.  The  bare  idea  of 
imitating  her  showed  brilliancy — perhaps  your  wit 
inspires  my  tongue  too  much  ?  " 

"  Your  silence  seemed  to  best  inspire  my  wit." 

"  If  you  /persist  in  being  witty  I  must  talk.  Your  wit 
inspires." 

"  Your  speech  made  my  thought  warm,  but  chilled  my 
wit." 

"  Then  you  shall  think  until  your  wit  perspires.  I'll 
make  a  warmer  speech  to  you.  'Tis  that — 

One  hope  above  all  effort  soars, 

One  dream  comes  o'er  me  when  1  rest, 
And  in  my  mind  a  rapture  pours 

Which  cannot  be  expressed 
Till  you  feel  raptured  at  the  word 

Which  gives  this  hope,  this  dream,  to  life  : 
Until,  my  darling,  you  have  heard 

That  I  have  hoped  to  call  you — *  Wife.' 

u  Why,  those  are  Roger  Charlton's  rhymes  !  " 

Her  dart  strikes  Walton  through  the  head: — 

u  They  were  anonymously  published  in  a  petty  magazine 
(one  which  he  thought  she  had  not  read)  and  Fancy 
strung  them  on  my  tongue. — But  who  is  Roger 
Charlton,  pray  ?  " 

"  A  friend." 

"  Did  Roger  Charlton  write  these  rhymes  to  you  ?  " 


THE   TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS  61 

"  Yes,  with  another  verse.     Will  you  repeat  it,  please  ?  " 
"  Must  I  ?  " 

Margaret  hesitates : — 

"  I—I  think  it  best !  " 

Walton  for  a  moment  waits: — 

"  '  Still  disappointed  hopes  will  twine 

Around  you,  where  life's  dream  is  wrapped, 
Though  that  one  thought — '  you'll  not  be  mine' — 

Has  all  their  vigor  sapped. 
But  I  will  no  more  pain  your  breast 

With  torturing  love  against  it  pressed  : 
My  future  life  from  yours  I'll  wrest, 
Yet  love  you  always.     It  —  it  — 
He  will  not  finish, 
She  concludes: — 

" seems  best." 

Walton,  true  to  his  oivn  part, 
Knows  she  speaks  not  from  her  heart: — 

"  Will  you  allow  me,Mrs.  Kent,to  call  you  'Marguerite?  '  " 

Miss  Longstaffe  enters  with  a  large  bouquet: — 

"  Dr.  Walton,  do  you  like  flowers  ?  " 

He  still  continues  to  look  Margaret's  way: 

u  Yes,  I  like  Marguerites.'1 

"  How  strange  !  " 

u  I  like  a  singular  —  of  the  plural." 

u  What  ?  " 

"  I  ]ike  a  single  Marguerite." 

u  A  single-  one  ?" 

"  I  would  not  like  a  married  one." 

"  How  foolishly  you  talk  !  " 

"  You  have  a  Marguerite  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have  one  at  your  disposal." 

And  Miss  Longstaffe  extends  a  single  flower: 
He  looks  at  the  bouquet  with  paishnate  power: — 


62  THE    TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS 

"  Would  you  object  if  I  should  choose  my  own  ?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least." 

"  Then  I  would  choose  this  Marguerite  for  mine." 

He  turns  find  looks  at  Margaret, 
Whose  blushes  show  her  passim  yet. 

"  I've  never  seen  such  boldness  shown  to  Margaret  Kent !  " 

And  Miss  Longstaffe  could  not  forget. 
Walton  speaks  with  downcast  eyes: — 

"  I  humbly  beg  your  pardon.    Mrs.  Kent,  have  I  become 
too  bold?" 

A  nd  Margaret  painfully  replies: — 

"  No  —  but — don't  say  any  more  to  me." 

"  Then,  Miss  Longstaffe,  as  she  forbids  my  talking  any 

more  to  her,  I'll  have  to  go  away  forever  if  I  hold  my 

tongue." 

And  Walton  seemingly  prepares  to  go; 

But  Margaret's  answer  is  not  cairn  nor  slow: — 

u  Don't  go  away  from  me  !  " 

Thinking  it  will  exaggerate 
Her  love,  he  tries  to  leave  in  haste: — 
"  She  has  forbidden  me  to  speak  to  her !  " 

She  scorns  him  for  such  stubbornness: — 

"  How  cruel  not  recognize  my  countermand.     Speak  just 
one  sentence,  sir,  then  go  away." 

But  Walton  sees  she  cares  for  him  no  less: — 

"  Margaret,  I  will  write  to  you." 

He  leaves,  and  Miss  Longstaffe  remarks:— 

"  That  man  well  knows  the  art  of  makiwg  love. — Have 
you  forgotten  that  your  husband  is  alive  ?  " 

Margaret  bows  her  head;  the  silence  harks: — 
""I  have  resolved  to  be  divorced  from  Robert  Kent." 


ACT    III 

The  wheel  of  Time  another  month  has  spun; 
Young  Charlton  up  to  Pratt 's  garret  has  run. 
He  lights  a  lamp,  unseals  a  letter,  and  begins  to  read: — 
"  *  Our  true  love  bond  is  broken 

If  the  truth  to  me  is  spoken  : 
'Tis  that  you,  misunderstanding 

The  power  which  is  commanding 
The  love  you  give  to  me, 

Are  in  your  thoughts  aspiring 
A  hidden  end  :  desiring 

To  give  me  your  love  beyond 
Restrictions  of  my  present  bond 
With  Robert  Kent. ' 

Well,  Margaret,  I  am  aspiring 

this  hidden  end:  desiring  your  true  happiness  beyond 
restrictions  of  your  present  bond  with  Robert  Kent." 

He  fires  the  letter  with  a  match, 

Watching  it  burn ;  then  seems  to  catch 

Determination  from  the  thought, 

And  to  his  feet  at  once  is  brought: — 

'  Desire  for  your  true  happiness  forms  my  true  love  for 
you,  and  in  what  constitutes  it,  passion  will  not  have 
one  thing  to  do." 

,   A  moment's  silence:  Enter  Pratt, 
Treading  on  Toby,  the  cat. 

;  Well,  well,  my  friend  ;  I  got  your  telegram  saying  you 
would  return  from  South  America  to-day  and  meet 
me  here  to-night.  You've  kept  your  word." 

(63) 


64  THE   TRAGEDY  OF    ERRORS 

u  I  always  keep  my  word  when  it  is  in  my  power.  I've 
never  broken  but  one  promise  in  my  life." 

"  And  what  was  that  ?  " 

"  I  promised  myself  I  should  see  my  daughter  here  with 
you."  . 

Charlton  takes  a  paper  from  his  pocket: — 

"  In  this  agreement  it  is  written  that  you  give  me  sole 
possession  till  delivery  of  the  proof  that  Robert  Kent 
has  died." 

Pratt  sputters  at  him  like  a  rocket: — 

u  And  when  that  proof  has  been  delivered  will  you  give 

me  back  —  " 

"  You  have  my  written  pledge  to  give  as  I  agreed." 
"  Alive  or  dead  ?  " 

"  Alive,  as  we  agreed  in  this  contract." 
"  I  don't  believe  you,  lad." 
"  Produce  the  proof  that  you  have  done  as  you  agreed 

and  I  will  carry  out  my  part  as  /  agreed." 
"  I  am  convinced  my  child  is  not  alive." 
"  I  never  in  my  life  have  told  a  lie." 
"  Give  me  my  daughter  first." 
"  Let  your  proof  prove  me  false  or  true  to  my  agreement, 

sir.     We'll  carry  out  the  thing  exactly  as  'tis  written 

here." 
"  And  in  case  you  have  lied  to  ni3  ?  " 

Charlton  hands  to  him  a  roll  of  bills: — 

"  Examine  them." 

Pratt  in  a  moment  with  renewed  hope  thrills: — 
"  Ten  thousand  dollars  !  " 
u  If  I  have  lied  to  you,  it  will  be  yours." 

Pratt  now  believes  that  his~child  is  alive: — 

"  I  will  lay  by  the  forfeit  and  produce  the  proof." 


THE    TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS  65 

A  holloio  glass,  shaped  like  a  small  bee-hive, 
He  lifts  out  of  a  box  as  Charlton  turns: — 
Within  him  horrid  anger  at  Pratt  burns: — 

"  Do  you  attempt  to  craze  me  with  a  sight  like  this,  and 
then  deceive  me  with  the  thought  :  '  It  is  the  head  of 
Robert  Kent  ?  '  -  Yet  it  resembles  every  portrait  I 
have  seen." 

u  Here  is  more  proof  for  you." 

"  A  ring  !  Well,  what  of  that  ?  " 

"  Please  look  at  the  inscription,  lad." 

"  '  Robert  —  Margaret  —  December  20,  1876.'  The  fatal 
day  that  they  were  married  !  Yes.1' 

11  Another  ring  which  goes  with  that !  " 

"  '  Gladys  —  October— 77.'     Yes." 

"  Do  you  want  more  proof?  " 

u  Yes." 

Pratt  gives  to  him  the  severed  hand: — 
"  Read  the  tattooed  inscription,  sir." 
Charltms  gaze  on  it  is  bent, 
And  he  mutters,  "Robert  Kent," 
But  seemx  not  to  understand. 
Slowly  turning  to  Kent's  head, 
In  a  strange,  weird  voice  is  said: — 

"  I'm  much  more  pleased  with  this  sight  over  here.     It's 
much  more  horrible,  but  far  more  satisfactorily   it 
shows  an  end  of  Robert  Kent.     (Charlton  acts  quite 
foolishly.)     Did  you  bring  up  the  other  one  ?  " 
"  He  only  had  one  head.     What  do  you  want  ?  " 
"  The  other  end  of    Kent.     I  want   his   foot.     Laugh  ! 

was  not  that  a  good  pun,  sir  ?  " 

"  How  can  you  be  so  heartless  with  your  subject,  lad  ?  " 

"  So   heartless  with  my  subject  ?     Kent  is  a  heartless 

subject,  is  he  not  ?     Come,  laugh  !  That  was  another 


66  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

pun.     Tell  me  :  where  is  the  heart  of  Robert  Kent  ?  " 

"  I  left  it  with  his  wife.  She  was  a  lovely  woman  !  She 
would  be,  till  death,  his  wife.  ;  Will  you  be  mine 
when  he  is  dead  ?  ' — I  asked  her  ;  and  she  said —  " 

"  What  are  you  telling  me,  you  fiend  !  That  you  have 
left  the  heart  of  that  man  with  his  wife  ?  Sir,  when 
came  you  to  know  the  wife  of  Robert  Kent  ?  " 

"  When  he  accused  me  falsely  of  her  ruin  and  disgrace, 
and  then  held  we  were  married,  though  no  legal  form 
had  been  observed  :  and  as  the  man  persisted  in  that 
accusation  with  a  stubbornness  which  fed  upon  her 
lies,  from  a  consideration  for  the  woman,  whom  he 
then  deserted,  I  consented  to  become  her  husband, 
but,  me  lad,  she  proved  that  when  a  marriage  partner 
ceases  to  regard  the  sacredness  of  marriage  once,  that 
partner's  moral  character  is  not  improved  by  marry- 
ing a  second  time." 

"  Sir,  you  are  raving  mad,  and  yet  you  have  more  wisdom 
than  the  bigwigs  of  our  law,  who,  although  Robert 
Kent's  first  marriage  was  a  wreck,  would  still  allow 
its  guilty  partner  every  right  to  wreck  a  second  one." 

"  Why  need  her  first  marriage  have  ended  so  ?  " 

"  Simply  because  of  incapacity  for  a  desire  above  a 
passionate  love,  which  is  the  alcohol  of  a  fermenting 
blood  that  kills  the  heart,  although  it  stimulates  the 
head  and  hand." 

"Ay  !  Ay  !  it  ivas  that  love  which  made  her  heartless, 
but  she  had  a  head  and  hand  which  few  could 
grapple  with." 

u  Sir  William  Pratt,  present  that  sight  to  Margaret  Kent, 
that  she  may  hold  it  to  the  world's  eye  as  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  ruinous  work  of  passionate  love." 


THE   TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS  67 

" — The  heart  decayed,  although   the  head  and  hand 

appear  to  be  unchanged." 

****** 

Pratt  tvonders  where  his  child  can  be: — 

*'  But  you  amended  your  agreement ;  keep  it  so.  It's 
herein  written  I  should  give  the  proof  to  Margaret 
Kent,  but  you  said  if  I  would  deliver  it  to  you,  you'd 
give  me  back  —  you  are  not  listening  lad  !  " 

u  Were  you  remarking  something,  Mr.  Pratt  ?" 

Sternly  Pratt  continues  now, 
While  a  doubt  darkens  his  bi'ow: — 

u  I  have  just  given,  dead,  the  life  you  left  with  me.  Please 
give  me  now,  alive,  the  life  I  left  with  you." 

Charlton  bows  politely  to  the  floor: — 
"  This  is  the  only  one  you  left,  sir.     Here's  the  cat." 

Poor  Pratt  can  hold  in  now  no  more: — 

"  You  liar,  you  have  lied  to  me  !  " 

Cool  Charlton  holds  out  their  contract: — 

"  Do  you  know  how  this  reads  ?  " 

But  Pratt's  mind  seems  completely  racked: — 
"  I  don't  know  anything." 
With  self-possession  Charlton  reads: — 

"My  charge  was,  'every  living  thing'  you  had.  When 
this  contract  was  signed,  your  child  was  dead'" 

Pratt  couches  like  a  tiger  at  his  feet: — • 

<;  Have  you,  or  has  Religion,  told  a  lie  ?  " 

Charlton  stands — then  slowly  beats  retreat: — 

" —  It's  my  belief  Religion  tells  the  truth.— I  have  been 
fairly  beaten. — Take  the  forfeit,  sir.  The  murder  of 
this  man  and  your  wrongs  torture  my  poor  soul.  Only 
my  love  for  Margaret  can  make  it  bearable. — But 
Margaret,  your  happiness  shall  be  my  first  desire, 
for  merely  amorous  affection  cannot  constitute  true 


68  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

love.     When  I  have  proved  your  happiness  to  be  my 
first  desire,  this  crime  will  be  an  noble  one." 

Pratt" s  head  has  sunk  upon  his  knees: — 
"  Nothing  is  noble  when  ignobly  done  !  " 
H'IS  words  Cliarltons  blood  seem  to  freeze: — 

u  Then  crime  cannot  be  nobly  done." 

He  lays  his  hand  upon  Kent's  head, 
And  takes  Kent's  hand  into  his  own: — 

"  Our  marriage,  Margaret,  can  never  be  ;  but  I  thank 
Hell  that  you  from  Robert  Kent  are  free." 

A  past  life  lies  before  him, — dead, 

Thff  future  of  the  past, --unknoiun. 
»  *  *  *  * 

From  the  closet  Pratt  removes  the  bomb, 
Liyhte  the  J 'use — then  stands  a  moment  dumb: — 

"  Tis  written  here,  'I  will  deliver  the  said  proof  to 
Margaret  Kent.'  With  not  a  promise  broken  in  my 
life,  shall  I  now  break  this  one  in  death  ?  — No!  (He 
extinguishes  the  fuse.)  I  will  subjugate  my  death  to 
what  my  life  has  been — a  slave  to  that  one  sentiment 
of  keeping  promises.  (Discovers  Charlton  in  a  faint.) 
Poor  Margaret,  I  pity  you,  but  I  must  to  myself  be 
true,  and  I've  two  duties  to  perform  before  I  die ;  one 
to  that  fellow-man,  the  other  to  my  God.  My  duty 
to  that  fellow-man  demands  this  promise  be  ful- 
filled: the  duty  to  my  God. — '  Thy  will '  —judgment 
on  Roger  Charlton's  head — '  be  done  on  earth  ':  And 
that  Thy  judgment  may  be  passed  on  earth,  poor 
Margaret  must  read  his  signature  on  this  —  'The 
Doom  of  Robert  Kent.'  " 

He  puts  Charlton  s  agreement  with,  his  own, 
A  nd  lays  them  in  the  hand  of  Robert  Kent; 
Returns  the  head  and  hand  into  the  box, 
And  puts  his  bomb  into  a  leathtr  bag: — 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  69 

"  This  bomb  lor  Margaret  :  this  bomb  for  me." 

And  Pratt  goes  out,  taking  the  box  and  bay. 


—  II  — 

Again  the  esthetic  home  of  Margaret  Kent. 
But  Margaret,  herselj,  this  time  is  bent 

With  easy  grace  above  a  manuscript. 
Her  emptied  pen  into  the  ink  is  dipped, 

When  George,  a  servant,  enters  with  a  card. 

"  What,  George  !  a  caller  at  this  time  of  night  ?  " 
"  Yes  ma'am  ;  he  says  that  he  must  see  you,  please." 
"  Why  don't  you  bring  the  card  to  me  ?  " 
"  Because  I  find  you're  in  your  c  sanctuary.' '; 
"  *  Sanctum  ! '  can't  you  remember  it  ?  " 
"  No  ma'am,  I  can't.     I  get  the  two  words  mixed  some- 
times.    The  dictionary  said  a  '  sanctum  '  was  a  holy 
place  where  angels  stayed,  and  so  I  never  feel  I'm 
good  enough  to  come  in  here." 

"  You're  good  enough  to  be  wherever  I  am,  George." 
/'I  never  thought  of  it !     You  are  the  kind  of  angels  that 
stay  in  sanctums,  then." 

Goes  up  to  Margaret  and  gives  the  card. 

She  reads  the  name  —  her  features  become  hard:  — 
"  Why,  what's  the  matter,  Mrs.  Kent  ?  " 
ic  Oh  —  nothing,  —  let  the  gentleman  —  come  up." 

George  leaves  and  Margaret  calls  after  him: — 

"  But  he  must  wait  a  minute.     I  can't  meet  him  in  such 
plight  as  this." 

Lets  down  her  hair  before  the  glass. — 
George,  hearing  not  her  call,  brings  Walton  in, 
But  feeling  his  mistake  to  be  a  sin 
Unfitting  him  to  stay  where  Margaret  is, 
With  bowed  head,  meekly  vanishes. 


70  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

"  Margaret !  " 

"  Please  call  me,  Mrs.  Kent.  Good  evening,  Dr.  Walton, 
I  hope  you  will  excuse  this  great  disorder  and  unti- 
diness. I  had  to  have  some  writing  ready  by  to-morrow 
for  the  printer,  and  have  been  working  desperately  at 
it.  Being  so  late,  I  had  not  thought  it  probable  that 
callers  would  come  in.  This  is  the  copy  of  a  poem 
which  the  editor  had  paid  me  for,  and  I  had  spent 
the  money,  and  my  conscience  twitted  me.  and  I 
resolved  to  finish  it.  I've  ruined  my  gold  pen  in  the 
attempt." 

"  I  fear  you  ruined  your  pen  writing  me." 

"  I  fear  that  letter  which  I  sent  was  ruinous  to  the  bril- 
liant estimation  you  expressed." 

"  Indeed,  it  did  not  ruin  my  own  estimation  of  you,  Mrs. 
Kent,  but  for  a  future  brilliant  estimation  in  the  eyes 
of  all  the  world,  I  think, — I  hope — I  half  believe 
that  it  has  ruined  you. — I  mean,  that  on  the  strength 
of  what  your  pen  has  written  me,  I  feel  the  right  to 
ruin  it  and  say  '  You  shall  not  write  for  money  any- 
more ;  henceforth  I  shall  take  care  of  you.'  Please 
tell  me  :  has  not  money  made  your  pen  go  round 
to-night  ?  " 
The  rising  passion  Margaret  tries  to  hide: — 

"  I  see  ;  you  do  not  know  what  a  brilliant  authoress  I 

am.     I  have  a  Destiny." 
But  Walton's  passion  is  at  its  flood-tide: — 

"  Your  Destiny  is  to  belong  to  me.  Have  you  not  made 
it  so  ?  Do  you  not  wish  it  so  ?  I  love  you  !  Simply 
love  you,  dearest,  with  the  truest  love  on  earth. — Oh, 
why  are  you  so  silent  ?  —  Is  it  because  you  care  for 
some  one  else — speak — more  than  me  ?  " 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  71 

She  turns  to  Walton  with  uplifted  face: — 

u  No — no — there  is  no  one  !  " 
She  yields  to  his  embrace, — then  shows  surprise. 
And  he,  having  her  wedding  ring,  replies: — 

"  You  think  I  should  have  waited  !  is  that  it  ? — But  why 
should  I  have  waited?  Are  you  not  now  mine  ?  Then 
in  all  justice  you  ought  not  to  bind  yourself  to  me  still 
linked  by  this  ring  to  another  man.  If  you  now  love 
me  more  than  your  dead  husband,  I  have  every  right 
to  break  your  former  chain." 

u  What  sir  !  is  my  husband  dead  ?  " 

"  Is  he  alive  ?  " 

"  I  thought  you  knew  it,  sir." 

"  Why  Mrs.  Townsend  told  me  he  was  dead  !  Knew  it ! 
I  knew  it  ?  What  do  you  think  of  me  ?  " 

"  I  thought  you  knew.  How  could  you  help  but  know, 
when  everybody  does  ?  He  is  in  South  America." 

"  —  And  is  this  so  !  Then,  simply  to  vindicate  my  con- 
duct, let  me  state  the  fact  that  I  supposed  you  were 
a  widow. — I  beg  you  to   enlighten  my  dull   under- 
standing as  to  the  nature  of  your  caprice  with  my 
love.     What  role  was  I  to  fill  in  your  life,  please  ? 
Must  I  read  this  ?     It  is  from  Uncle  !  " 
Walton  glances  at  the  letter, 
Every  nerve  would  break  its  fetter: — 

"  Oh,  I  see  !  You  are  going  to  have  a  divorce  !  A  most 
magnanimous  intention.  Personally  I  must  express 
my  gratitude." 

Margaret,  stung  by  each  expression, 

Struggles  for  calm  self-possession: — 

"  I  never  thought,  sir,  of  deceiving  you  !  What  have  I 
done  to  gain  or  keep  your  love  ?  Did  you  not  come 
here  of  your  own  free  will  ?  And  when  your  Uncle, 


72  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

whom  I  loved  and  trusted  so  entirely,  wrote  me  in 
that  way,  I  felt  my  safety  and  my  happiness  to  lie 
in  following  his  advice. — It  seemed  to  have  been 
settled  for  me,  and  I  was  so  tired  of  struggling  all 
alone. — I  cannot  understand  it  all!  Your  uncle  says 
there  in  his  letter  that  you  wrote  to  him  about  your 
love  for  me,  and  I  thought  you  had  wisely  settled  it 
between  you  ;  and  so  when  you  came  to-night, — what 
else  could  I  expect  ?  " 

Walton s  thoughts,  on  passions  tide 
Have  been  drifting  far  and  ivide: — 

u  I  understand  it  all.  I  have  not  yet  seen  Uncle  Rob 
since  I  returned,  and  he  did  not  have  time  to  write 
before  I  came.  He  never  dreamed  I  cared  for  you 
until  I  wrote. — But  he  speaks  here  of  some  young 
man,  whose  love  should  give  you  strength  for  a 
divorce." 

"  Do  you  mean  Roger  Charlton  ?  " 

"  Yes.     Is  Charlton  anything  to  you  ?  " 

"  What  did  I  tell  you  once  ?  " 

"  Tell  me  again.  Is  there  a  man, — leaving  the  one  in 
South  America  alone, — who  now  stands  nearer  to 
your  heart  than  I  ?  ?' 

"  Dr.  Walton  !  " 

"Tell  me." 

"  Your  ignorance  insults  me,  sir." 

"  My  love  is  no  less  true  !  " 

"  Your  ignorance  still  insults,  if  you  believe  our  love  can 
be.  It  is  all  ended  :  quite^." 

"  My  love  is  true  :  the  end  can  never  be." 

"  And  do  you  think  this  passionate  affection  constitutes 
true  love  ?  " 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  73 

"  When  given  only  to  one  woman  ;  yes." 

Margaret  like  a  goddess  stands — 

As  one  bound  not  ivith  Earth's  bands: — 

"  Then  you  are  with   the   world.     Go,    sir,    where   you 
belong.     I  am  above  such  love." 


—  Ill  — 

On  the  ill-lit  street  in  front, 

Enters  Pratt, — with  accents  blunt: — 

This  bomb  for  Margaret  ;  this  bomb  for  me  !  " 
He  ascends  the  steps.     The  door 
Walton  opens: — Pratt  says  o'er: — 

This  bomb  for  Margaret ;  this  bomb  - 

From  Walton  s  lips  the  words  are  flung: — 

*  You  drunken  bum  !     Clear  out  of  here  !  " 

Pratt  asks,  with  every  nerve  unstrung:— 

Is  —  is  —  M  —  Margaret  to  home  ?  " 

Walton  thinks,  "  Whom  can  this  be, 
Who  speaks  a  word  denied  to  me  ?  " 

Who  are  you  ?     Where  do  you  come  from,  sir  ?  " 
I  come  from  —  from  South  America. — Is  M-M  -  Mar- 
garet to  home  ?  " 

"  From  South  America! "  — the  thoughts  quickly  occur ; 

"  He  calls  her  'Margaret;  '  "  "  Kent  has  come  back  to  her  !  " 

(  This  must  be  Robert  Kent !  )  " 
Is  M-M  -  Margaret  to  home  ?  " 

She  is." 

Pratt,  staggering,  passes  on  and  in, 

While  Dr.  Walton  murmurs  with  a  grin: — 

'  And   she  shall    teach  me    what  does    constitute    true 
love  ! " 

He  listens  for  a  moment:  from  within 
Comes  a  cry  to  make  the  cheeks  grow  thin, 


74  THE    TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS 

For  Margaret's  words  the  wildest  horrors  tell:— 
"  I  am  descending  into  Hell  !  " 
Pratt,  in  a  second,  rushes  through  the  door: — 

"  Stand  back  !     Stand  back  !     I  am  a  desperate  man  !  " 

He  lights  the  fuse  of  bomb: —  Walton  stands  o'er: — 

"  Margaret  shall  teach  me  what  does  constitute  true  love. 
You  shall  not  kill  yourself !  " 

With  which  he  snatches  bomb:  both  grapple  in 
The  darkness:  bomb  explodes — and  with  the  din 
A  window  curtain  flies  up  like  a  shot, 
Revealing  Miss  Lonystajfe  with  anger  hot, 
Extending  Robert's  hand  to  Margaret, 
In  which  "  The  Doom  of  Robert  Kent "  lies  yet: 
Miss  Longstaffe  points  at  Cliarltons  signature: 
The  light  from  window  faintly  shoivs  the  poor, 
Torn,  wrecked,  and  lifeless  form  of  honest  Pratt, 
And  Walton,  stealing  off  without  his  hat: — 
While  dead,  beneath  the  window,  lies  Toby,  the  cat. 


—  IV  — 

The  scene  is  changed  as  by  a  magic  spelL 

Rio  Janeiro  has  a  prison-cell, 

In  which  a  man  is  lying  on  a  bed. 

A  woman  rises:~-he  hurls  at  her  head: — 

u  None  but  the  devil  comes  here  in  this  shape  !  " 

"  Sh-h-h-  !  not  so  loud  !  I'm  Mrs.  Townsend,  sir." 

u  Yes,  madam,  that  is  what  I  said." 

Mrs.  Townsend  ivhispers  in  his  ear: — 

"  I  have  come  here  to  help  you  to  escape.     Come,  follow 
me." 

And  he  replies,  in  tones  which  mock  her  fear: — 

"  '  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan  !  ' " 

She  motions  to  a  hole  through  which  she  came: — 

"  Give  me  your  hand  and  I  will  save  your  life." 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  75 

But  he  replies  in  tones  he  cannot  tame: — 

"  That's  what  you  said  when  we  were  in  the  well.      I  cut 

my  hand  off  and  I  gave  it  you " 

"And  thereby  saved  your  life." 

"  I  lost  my  freedom,  which  was  just  as  dear." 

"  You  lost  that  for  your  brother's  death." 

"  You  killed  my  brother,  though." 

"  When  I  cut  off  his  head  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  for  when  I  slung  him  in  the  well,  the  Court  has 

proved  he  was  not  dead." 
"  Well  then,  I  saved  your  life  by  losing  his." 
"  My  freedom,  as  I  said,  was  life  when  lost." 
"  Then  I  will  save  your  freedom,  sir." 
"  You'll  save  my  freedom  by  losing  my  life  !  " 
"  I'm  not  deceiving  you." 
"  Not  in  the  least.     You  came  to-night  to  kill  me  while 

I  slept.     I  heard  you  digging  through  the  wall  into 

my  cell.     Behold,  it  is  a  trap  :  you  are  the  mouse  :  I 

am  the  bait :  you've  nibbled  at  me — " 
"  But  it  hasn't  snapped  !  " 
u  The  trap  is  of  a  different  kind." 
"  Hell ! " 
"  You  are  in  it :  get  out  if  you  can." 


ACT    IV 

Margaret  now  lives  in  a  Country  Home, 
Into  a  room  of  which  she  has  just  come, 
Where  Miss  Lonystaffe  is  taking  stitches 
In  a  manly  pair  ofbreeclies, 
Which,  ill-fitting  such  a  dome, 
Margaret  sits  down  to  exclaim: — 

"  The  horror  of  my  life  !  To  think  that  I,  —  I,  Margaret 
Kent,  who  have  had  such  visions  and  such  dreams, 
have  come  to  this  !  " 
.1//.S5  Longstafft  slowly  lays  aside  her  work: — 

"Margaret,  is  it  Divine  Economy  to  lose  one  life  to  gain 
another  one  ?  " 

Margaret  shown  that  both  the  question  shirk: — 

"  1  wish  you  would  decide  for  me.  I'm  losing  everything 
for  Robert  Kent.  Since  he  came  home  I  have  lost 
faith,  hope,  love  and  even  self-respect,  in  order  that 
he  may  live  happily.  (Gladys  enters,  but  by  neither 
seen.*)  Ambition  lost,  nothing  is  anything  to  me. 
How  can  I  live  when  life  from  me  has  gone,  and  left 
me  in  my  body  all  alone  ?  " 
Gladi/s  steps  from  out  behind  the  screen: — 

"  Your  life  is  in  me,  mamma  !  I  am  here." 
"  Yes  dear,  you  are  my  life  to  me." 

Miss  Longstaffe  rises,  taking  Margaret's  hand-' — 

"  And  I  ?  " 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  <  / 

"  You  are  the  salt  of  it." 

And  she  concludes,  continuing  to  stand: — 

"  Believe  one  thing  ;  that  where  you  are,  there  I  am  also, 
Margaret.  If  thirsting  in  the  desert,  I  too  thirst 
with  you  :  if  where  the  waters  bubble  up,  I  too  will 
bubble  up." 

Margaret  gives  a  little  laugh: — 

u  I  Kke  to  have  you  bubble  up  !  —  There,  I  feel  better 
now,  but  do  not  like  to  have  my  patience  in  suspense. " 

Then  comes  this  ponderous  speech  from  Miss  Longst^ffe: — 

"  Margaret,  I  have  at  last  decided  an  undecidedness  in 
all  my  past  decisions.  I  wish  to  talk  with  you. 
This  life  need  not  go  on." 

She  beckons  Margaret  and  they  leave  the  room. 
Gladys  speaks  as  though  within  a  tomb: — 

u  Mamma,  I  know  papa  has  asked  you  for  more  money, 
but  he  shall  not  do  it  anymore.  I'll  give  him  all 
of  mine.  You  wouldn't  take  it,  but  perhaps  he  will. 
I  must  help  some." 

(She  gets  her  bank  and  screw-driver.)  "I've  ever  so 
many  gold  pieces.  Real  gold!  Mamma  said  that  they 
were.  And  one's  a  great  big  one.  Til  count  them 
over  for  the  last  time  now,  and  I'll  remember  all  the 
happiness  which  came  with  every  one.  (Her  father 
comes  in  at  the  rear.)  Here  is  the  big  one  Uncle 
Olney  gave  me  when  I  wouldn't  marry  Roger  Cha.rlton 
at  my  birthday-party  'cause  I  loved  mamma  too 
much  to  love  him  most.  This  was  my  wedding 
present  when  I  didn't  marry  him.  Good-bye  now 
for  the  first  last  time  !  (She  kisses  it.)  Good-bye  ! 
I  will  not  look  at  you  again.  And  here's  the  one 
that  Mr.  Charlton  gave  me  when  I  wrote  papa,  and 


78  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

asked  him  to  come  home  to  us.  But  I  wish  now  I 
hadn't  written  it.  The  gold  is  redder  than  the  rest, 
and  always  make  me  think  of  blood." 

Her  father  thinks  it  best  to  disappear. 

"  Sometime  I'll  tell  mamma  about  my  writing  to  papa, 
but  I'm  afraid  to  tell  her  that  I  did.  —  Some  one  is 
coming  !  I  must  cover  these  !  " 

Her  father  enters  now  as  if  from  Heaven, 
Bearing  smiles  which  ivould  all  Sheol  leaven: — 

"  Papa,  I  wish  you  wouldn't  ask  mamma  for  money  any 
more." 

Each  smile  dies  out  with  her  exploded  rocket: — 
"  Why  not  ?  " 

Proceeds  to  take  a  letter  from  his  pocket; 

Dampens  a  blotting  pad',  lays  over  seal; 

Places  on  shelf;  weights,  and  turns  on  his  heel. 

"  Because  she  has  to  work  so  hard  to  pay  for  all  these 
rooms,  for  what  we  eat,  and  for  the  clothes  we  wear. 
Now  please  don't  go  to  her  for  money  any  more. — I'd 
rather  give  you  mine  !  " 

u  Yours  !  how  much  have  you  got  ?  " 

"  Ever  so  many  gold  pieces." 

"  Nickels,  you  mean.     I  don't  believe  they're  gold." 

u  Mamma  said  that  they  were." 

"  I'll  tell  you  if  they  are." 

«  Well,  —  " 

Gladys  reluctantly  uncovers  them: 

A  love  of  gold  a  father  s  feelings  stem: — 

"  Phew  !  Sixty  dollars !  I  don't  think  you  love  your 
father  and  your  mother  much,  if,  when  you  know 
they're  bothered  about  money  matters,  you  can  hide 
away  this  wealth,  and  will  give  them  no  help  at  all 
with  it." 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  79 

Gladys  to  the  heart  is  stung 
With  the  dart  her  father  flun>j: — 

u  Ever  and  ever  so  many  times  I've  poured  it  out  in 
mamma's  lap,  and  said, '  Please  use  it.  I  would  love 
so  much  to  have  you  use  it.'  But  she  said  that  it 
was  mine,  and  wanted  me  to  keep  it  for  myself." 

She  stops — looks  at  it  longingly, 

Until  her  tearful  eyes  no  more  can  see: — 

"  If  you  will  use  it — it  is  yours  to  do  with  what  you  like." 

Again  that  cursed  love  of  gold 
Makes  the  father  s  love  groiv  cold: — 

"  Well,  I  wil]  take  it  for  a  loan,  and  just  as  soon  as  I  can 
find  employment,  I'll  replace  it  —  put  two  pieces  in 
for  every  one  that  I  take  out. — Perhaps  it  would  be 
better  not  to  tell  your  mother,  dear." 

"  I  shall  not  tell  mamma  !  " 

And  as  only  a  child  can  cry, 

She  leaves  Mm, — sobbing  to  hv*  sigh, — 

"  Oh,  well,  we  cannot  cook  a  meal  without  a  fire  !  —  I 
guess  the  seal  is  soaked  enough  to  loosen  now. 
(Opens  letter  —  takes  out  check — )  One  thousand 
dollars  !  Phew!  I  am  in  luck.  (He  looks  at  the  begin- 
ning and  the  end.)  i  England — Roger  Charlton, — let's 
see  about  this  thing!  (Reads.)  '  I've  been  a  stranger 
since  we  parted  just  one  year  ago,  in  order  to  allow 
your  life  to  drift  away  from  mine, 

But  still  yours  is  the  form  which  clings 

About  me,  till  its  trembling  wings 
Of  love  are  drooping  in  my  melancholy  eye  ; 

Yet  in  my  mind's  uncertain  light, 
Dull  doubts  deny  that  I  am  right 

In  still  believing  that  it  shares 
The  love  I  feel,  or  that  it  cares 

For  the  desires  which,  slumbering,  deep  within  me  lie.' 


80  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

"  Young  man  your  love  had  better  slumber  till  I  die.  'I 
write  you  principally  to  verify  what  probably  already 
is  well  known;  that  Robert  Kent  no  longer  lives  upon 
this  earth.' 

"  Oh,  I  remember !  Mrs.  Townsend  said  that  Roger 
Charlton  was  the  fiend  who  bargained  for  my  hand. 

"  '  Further  than  the  fact  that  Robert  Kent  has  died,  I 
need  not  state,  for  I  presume  his  death  was  learned 
upon  your  application  for  divorce,  as  both  were 
nearly  simultaneous.' 

'•  Had  Margaret  applied  for  a  divorce  ?  I  knew  it  not. — 
'  Under  a  nom  deplume,  I  have  just  published  my  own 
poems  in  book  form.  As  every  sentiment  expressed 
in  them  relates  in  some  way  to  the  love  I  have  for 
you,  I  wish  you  to  accept  my  interest  in  the  copy- 
right, and  overcome  your  modesty  regarding  the 
acceptance  of  financial  help  you  have  not  worked  to 
earn,  by  realizing  that  the  poems  would  not  have 
been  written  if  it  had  not  been  for  you  ;  as  no  one 
else  could  have  called  forth  from  me  the  sentiments 
therein  expressed.  Should  you  not  wish,  however, 
to  appropriate  the  proceeds  as  your  own,  I  have  so 
left  the  matter  with  the  publishers,  that  Gladys  will 
receive  the  profits  when  she  is  of  age.  The  enclosed 
check  is  from  the  publishers  for  one-half  interest  in 
the  copyright,  and  in  the  future  there  should  be  a 
somewhat  steady  income  from  the  royalties,  which 
has  all  been  arranged  in  such  a  manner  with  the 
publishers,  that  you  hereafter  will  transact  all 
business  with  them.' 

"  As  Uncle  Olney  used  to  say,  '  Now  that  I'm  getting  old? 
I  sometimes  think  that  Providence  provides  for  me 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  81 

when  I  cannot:'  for  Margaret  repeatedly  has  said 
that  she  would  not  accept  one  penny  which  she  didn't 
earn,  and  I  am  sure  that  she  would  not  accept  as 
much  as  this  ;  and  as  to  Gladys, — I  might  just  as 
well  be  using  it  as  hav«  it  ]ying  in  the  bank  until 
she  is  of  age,  and  when  she  is,  I  can  return  it  all. 
A  little  clever  management,  and  Margaret  need  never 
know  of  it ;  — and  I  am  safe  with  Roger  Charlton, 
for  he  adds,  '  I  shall  not  write  again,  and  will  conceal 
my  whereabouts.  Believing  that  my  power  to  aid 
your  happiness  is  exhausted,  I  must  still  allow  our 
lives  to  further  drift  apart,  well  knowing  that  our 
marriage,  Margaret,  can  never  be.7 " 

Robert  thinks  •     George  enters  with,  a  card. 
And  Robert  scans  it  ivith  a  strange  regard: — 

"  <  Robert  Olney  Kent! '  My  uncle  !  Why,  he's  dead.  It 
may  be  some  relation  who  has  come  here  to  dispute 
the  will  whereby  one-half  his  fortune  was  bequeathed 
to  Margaret  !  Well,  let  the  gentleman  come  in." 

George  exits. 

Robert  places  Charlton  s  letter, 
For  the  lack  of  some  place  better, 
'Gainst  his  breast  inside  his  collar, 
A  nd  begins  to  sport  a  dollar. 

Enter  George,  announcing  Dr.  Walton 
As  "Robert  Kent,"  but  feeling  that  a  fault  on 
Sortie  one's  part  must  surely  have  been  made, 
Gives  Rob  the  card,  and  goes  out  to  his  trade. 
Robert  looks  at  Walton  in  surprise: — 

"  Am  I  gazing  in  a  mirror,  sir  ?  —  Is  your  name  <  Robert 
Olney  Kent  ? '  " 

Walton  stares  at  Robert  and  replies: — 

E(  Those  are  the  words  by  which  they  christened  me." 

Robert  wonders  at  the  paradox: — 


82  THE    TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS 

"  But  that  is  my  name,  sir  !  " 

This  statement  Walton  evidently  shocks: — 

"  I  thought  you  blew  yourself  to  pieces  with  a  bomb- 
shell at  your  doorstep  just  a  year  ago  ! — I  must  have 
been  mistaken  when  I  thought  that  it  was  you,  and 
ever  since  then  I  have  been  away,  so  my  mistake  has 
not  been  rectified. — Yet  I  persist,  my  name  is '  Robert 
Olney  Kent.' " 

Robert  looks  Walton  straight  in  the  eye: — 

a  Whose  fault  is  it  that  mine  is  just  the  same  ?  " 

And  Walton  coolly  gives  him  the  reply: — 
"  But  yours  is  not  the  same." 

Robert  asks  him,  somewliat  in  alarm: — 

"  Don't  I  know  my  own  name  ?  " 

And  Walton  calmly  waves  at  him  his  arm: — 

"  Not  if  you  call  mine  yours." 

Robert  looks  at  him  still  more  alarmed: — 

"  It  is  the  name  by  which  they  christened  me." 
And  Walton  with  the  subject  grows  more  charmed: — 

"  Perhaps  you   recollect   the   minister   who   christened 

you  ?" 

Robert  waves  a  handless  arm  at  him: — 
u  No  bullying  !  no  bull-dozing,  sir." 

Cool  Walton  asks,  as  Robert's  face  grows  grim: — 

"  Did  Mrs.  Townsend  ever  say  she  saw  you  christened?  " 

"No.     Suppose  she  did?" 

"  You  would  then  hear  about  the  4  H  English  '  minister 
who  christened  you,  and  of  the  Boston  minister  who 
christened  me.  The  '  H  English  '  minister  could  not 
pronounce  your  middle  name  without  an  c  H  ';  hence 
you  were  christened,  l  Robert  Holney  Kent,'  while  I 
was  christened  '  Robert  Olney  Kent. '  '  Holney ,' 
'  Olney J  is  the  difference  'tween  our  legal  signatures. 


THE    TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS  83 

Which  one  is  written  here  in  Margaret's  *•  Certificate 
of  Marriage '  with  the  same  ?  " 

Robert  reads,  somewhat  against  Ills  will: — 

"  '  Robert  Olney  Kent.'  " 

Walton  remarks,  while  both  their  natures  thrill: — 

"  That  is  my  legal  signature  ;  not  yours." 

"  I'll  give  you  just  three  minutes  to  clear  out !  " 

And  Robert  draws  an  ugly -looking  knife. 

"  I'll  give  you  till  I've  counted  four  to  put  that  weapon 
down." 

And  Walton,  with  a  pistol,  threats  his  life. 

"  I've  faced  such  threats  too  many  times  to  be  afraid." 

But  Robert  says  it  ivith  a  nervous  twitch. 
Light  Walton  counts,  unsiverving  in  his  aim: — 

"  One  —  two  —  three  —  " 

Robert  slashes  like  a  willow  switch, 
The  knife: — cross  Walton  s  wrist  it  came, 
Quite  severing  it:  both  knife  and  pistol  drop, 
While  Robert  adds,  to  justify  his  act: — 

"  Once,  sir,  I  gave  my  hand  to  save  my  life  ;  now  you 
have  given  yours." 

But  Walton  is  not  ready  yet  to  stop: — 
"  Your  life  is  not  yet  saved  !  " 

Both,  by  a  common  impulse  backed, 

Dive  down:  the  weapons  get  exchanged, 

And  Walton  rises  like  a  fiend  deranged: — 

"  I  have  another  hand  !  " 

And  with  the  knife  slabs  Robert  in  the  breast. 
Robert  uttering  one  sharp  cry,  — 
Muttering— 

"  And  so  have  I." 

Fires  at  Walton:  both  sink  into  rest. 

***** 

Miss  Longstaffe  and  Gladys  enters, 
With  pale  Margaret  in  the  center* 
Coolly  viewing  Robert  Kent, 


84  THE   TRAGEDY   OF   ERRORS 

Miss  L speaks,  with  slow  accent: — 

u  Margaret,  I  think  you  are  at  last  released,  if  your  own 
strength  has  failed." 

Margaret,  with  a  weird  spell  bound. 
Tears  Rents  clothing  from  the  wound. 
Finding  Charltons  letter  there. 
She  gives  it  to  Gladys'  care: — 

"  No  !  no!  he  is  not  dead!     He  breathes  !  " 

Margaret,  with  eyes  closed  in  prayer, 
Does  not  see  her  husband  raise 
On  his  arm  and  at  her  stare, 
WJdle  she  for  his  death  thus  prays: — 

"  0  God  !  if  Divine  Providence  supplied  his  life,  provide 
now  for  his  death,  and  take  him  into  Hell,  for  he 
would  find  his  Heaven  there.  Until  his  death  I'll  he 
his  slave,  but  after  death  let  him  serve  bondage  to 
himself,  alone.  Our  souls  have  never  been  united, 
yet  our  bodies  have  been  bound  together  with  a  chain 
I  have  not  had  the  strength  to  break.  I've  always 
thought  'twas  noble  not  to  try,  and  I've  just  proven 
that  I  think  it  still.  0  God,  do  now  for  me  what  I 
can  never  do  :  release  me  from  his  loathed  embrace." 

As  Charlton  wished,  Kent's  soul  was  softened  well, 

Until  he  realized  he  was  in  Hell: — 

"  There  is  no  God,  but  you  shall  be  released." 

A  bullet  choked  the  words,  and  his  life  ceased: — 
***#*# 

Margaret  sees  the  crime  of  her  harsh  prayer, 

A  nd  throws  her  arms  around  him  in  despair: — 
"  He  has  been  wronged  !     Until  you  show  that  his  was 
not  true  love  for  me,  by  proving  that  he  gave  affection 
to  some  other  woman  as  his  wife,  consider  I  am  still 
the  wife  of  Robert  Kent." 

Walton  rises  from  the  place  he  lay, 

And  wild  with  his  pain,  manages  to  say: — 


THE    TRAGEDY   OF    ERRORS  85 

u  And  please  consider  I  am  Robert  Kent !  And  that  you 
have  decided  i  merely  passionate  affection  for  one 
woman  constitutes  true  love.7 — I  can  give  proof  that 
I  am  '  Robert  Olney  Kent/  and  that  that  man's  true 
legal  name  is  not.  Hence  by  this  paper,  you  have 
married  me." 

Margaret  views  the  paper  with  high  scorn, 
While  Gladys  to  the  side  of  Kent  is  borne: — 

"  '  What  constitutes  a  marriage  ?     Verbal  laws  ?  ' ' 

She  asks  Walton:  continuing  as  she  draws 
Kent  closer  to  her  side  with  ebbing  life: — 

"  This  child  is  witness  that  we  two  are  man  and  wife." 


ACT   V 

We  visit  Margaret's  Country  Home  again. 
Her  once  aesthetic  taster  have  groimi  'too  plain . 
The  walls  about  the  room  are  nearly  la  re; 
She  noiv  lies  sick  in  bed  'neath  Gla<ly*  core. 
Miss  Longstaffe  enters  with  her  face  more  grim, 
And  out  of  breath  exclaim*: — 

0  I  have  found  him  !  " 

"  Found  whom  ?  " 

"  The  man  who  loved  and  then  deserted  you." 

"  Found  Dr.  Walton  ?  " 

"  I  also  have  found  it  !  " 

"  Found  what  ?  " 

"The  proof  that  Robert  Kent  divorced  himself  from  you 

by  giving  his  affection  to  another  woman  as  his  wife. 

I  will  bring  Dr.  Walton  and  the  proof  to  you." 

She  leaves ,  and  through  an  open  door 
Dr.  Walton  stands  before: — 

u  I've  come,  never,  never  to  leave  you  again,  if  you  will 
let  me  stay  !  " 

And  they  embrace. —  Weakness  seems  to  prevent  her 
From  answering  him, — but  she  saw  C/iarUon  enter: — 

"  Oh,  Roger  Charlton,  I've  forgotten  you  !  " 

She  exclaims  it  with  closed  eyes. 
Pale  Charlton  sadly  replies: — 

"  We  sometimes  disremember,  but  we  never  do  forget." 

Miss  Longstdffe  enter*,  bringing  after  her, 


THE   TRAGEDY   OP   ERRORS  87 

Florence  and  Mrs.  Townsend — things  which  were. — 
Charlton  speaks  with  humbled  head, 
Wishing  that  he  could  be  dead: — 

"  While  your  arms  hold  him  to  your  breast,  my  arms 
are  impotent,  and  while  the  lips  of  Mrs.  Townsend 
denounce  me,  my  own  lips  will  be  dumb.  Clasp  on, 
and  I  will  turn  my  eyes  away  ;  speak  on,  and  I'll  be 
deaf  to  what  you  say." 
Mrs.  T still  plays  the  hypocrite: — 

"  My  lips  are  dumb  when  they  would  denounce  you." 

Walton  says  aside,  that  none  hear  it: — 

"  (Oh,  Margaret,  you  are  so  homely  now  !  )  " 

And  fascinated  by  a  thing  of  beauty, 
Addresses  Florence  as  a  courteous  duty. 
Charlton,  at  the  quickly  changed  aspects, 
Addresses  Margaret  as  his  love  directs: — 

"  Then  my  own  lips  can  speak,  since  that  man  has 
spurned  you.  Margaret,  when  I  had  seen  the 
scoundrel,  Robert  Kent,  in  sporting  clubs,  making  a 
toy  of  that  which  should  have  bought  you  bread, 
and  when  his  selfish  appetites  had  been  appeased, 
returning  to  your  sleepless  couch  a  gluttonous  beast: 
when  I  knew  such  had  been  your  married  life  with 
him  and  would  still  be  if  he  returned  to  you  from 
South  America,  I  interposed  my  true  love  'tween  you 
and  that  beastly  man,  although  the  murder  vomited 
his  filthy  life  upon  my  soul.  I  never  knew  the  details 
of  his  death,  and  yet  I  could  tell  what  would  deafen 
you  to  hear.  I  took  the  life  of  Robert  Kent  into  my 
hands  because  I  wished  to  gain  your  happiness,  but 
now,  to  gain  my  happiness,  I  must  take  mine,  and  go 
for  Judgment  to  the  God  of  each." 
At  which  he  draws  out  a  revolver: — 


88  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

"  You  didn't  kill  him,  Charlton  !     Stop  !  " 

Miss  Longsta/e  has  fired  a  "dissolver." 
Charlton  gives  her  an  astonished  look; 
Florence  gave  some  cue  which  Walton  took: — 
"  Let's  have  some   explanations  !     This   lovely   woman 

will  tell  who  she  is." 
Florence  sweetly  above  Margaret  stands: — 

"  I  am  till  death  the  wife  of  Robert  Kent." 

And  to  Walton  a  marriage  paper  hands. 
On  Mrs.  Townsend  Walton  s  eye  is  bent 
As  he  exclaims, — 

"  And  I  am  Robert  Kent !  " 

To  Florence  he  extends  a  handless  arm, — 
Embracing  her ;  which  does  material  harm 
To  Mrs.  Townsend' s  scheme,  since  her  hard  strife 
Had  been  to  gain  him  Margaret  for  a  wife. 
And  armed  with  proof  for  that  she  had  here  come: — 
But  now  concludes; — 
"  And  I  to  lies  am  dumb." 
Miss  Longstaffe  takes  down,  framed,  from  off"  the  wall, 
Poor  Margaret's  marriage  paper, — with  the  call  of — 

"  Robert  Olney  Kent,  I  charge  you,  sir,  with  bigamy." 

Florence  quickly  writhes  from  out  his  arms; 
But  Margaret  tries  to  quiet  his  alarms 
By  pointing  at  Gladys: — 

"  No,  I  am  not  your  wife." 

"  Because  you're  not  my  father,  sir." 

The  fife-like  voice  supports  her  mother  s  tones. 
Addressing  Florence, — Margaret  he  disowns: — 

"  I  never  loved  that  woman  as  my  wife." 

And  Margaret  falls  back  with  no  seeming  life. 
Charlton  s  fist  in  Walton's  face  is  sent: — 

"  I  thought  that  I  had  killed  you,  Robert  Kent !  " 

With  which,  to  Margaret  is  quickly  said, 
As  with  an  effort  she  sits  up  in  bed: — 

"  What  power  chained  you  to  Robert  Kent  for  life  ?  " 


THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS  89 

"The  thought  that  parents  should  be  man  and  wife." 

And  having  weakly  spoken;  she  falls  back 
With  her  face  drawn  "as  though  the  flesh  would  crack." 

"  You  have  been  his  wife  in  this  world,  but  in  the  next  —  " 

Charlton  pauses — Margaret  tries  to  speak: —  is  vexed. 

u  Her  tongue  is  paralyzed  !  " 

Miss  Long  staff e  cries; 

And  alt  but  Charlton  stand  in  dumb  surprise. 

He  hands  to  her  a  pencil  and  a  paper, 

And  quickly  asks— as  flickers  her  life's  taper: — 

li  You  have  been  his  wife  in  this  world,  but  in  the  next? —  " 

And  Margaret  writes — while  Charlton  seems  unsexed: — 

"  '  My  lover  will  be  he  who  had  the  truest  love.'  " 

He  reads,  while  Margaret  is  withdrawing  from  life's  glove — 

•"'  Stand  back  !  "     (As  Miss  Longstaffe  upon  him  bears: — ) 
"  Let  no  one  meddle  with  my  soul's  affairs." 

To  Margaret  then: — 

u  What  constitutes  true  love?  " 

And  Margaret,  struggling,  tries  to  speak, — 
Then  wiite, — then  calmly  drops  life's  glove. 
But  crazy  Charlton  still  repeats: — 

"  What  Constitutes  True  Love  ?  " 


Charlton,  waking  from  his  sleep 
Whereof  we  this  record  keep — 

Where  this  Dream  had  left  him  maddened — 
Since  the  Dream's  recorded  ending 


90       •  THE    TRAGEDY    OF    ERRORS 

O'er  a  poem  has  been  bending; 

And,  Reader,  you  will  be  saddened 
With  its  contents:  but,  imploring 
Pardon  for  my  faults  ignoring, — 

/end  my  work  with  a  sigh. 
— Let  who  can  do  better  try. 


i-M^^^-— 


(IN  PREPARA  770AO 


THE  TRAGEDY  OF  ERRORS 


POEM: 


By    CH 


Being  a  continuation  in  the  next  world  of  the  Dream 

so  poorly  portrayed  by  Julius  in  the  Dramatic 

Poem  of  the  same  title 


